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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571704">Gimme</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerspaceisbetterthannothing/pseuds/outerspaceisbetterthannothing'>outerspaceisbetterthannothing</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Girl Who Cried Wolf [Alpha!Calum AU] [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>5 Seconds of Summer (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 09:54:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571704</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/outerspaceisbetterthannothing/pseuds/outerspaceisbetterthannothing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When it comes to the hardest choice in your life, how do you choose right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Calum Hood/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Girl Who Cried Wolf [Alpha!Calum AU] [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1379362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gimme</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You were tossing and turning sleepless on your bed, the stuffy summer night not making it easier for your numb body and restless mind. You huffed, changing position for what seemed a millionth time that night and kicking the sheets off of you. You tried to relax, catching the sounds filling your room from the opened window. Crickets chirping started playing on your nerves the very next moment. You huffed again, imagining the reaction of Arthur, your hunting trainer, when you turn up to the morning run tired and beaten after a sleepless night. And the worst part was that it wasn’t even your fault. He said he’d be here by midnight and here you were, staying up and waiting for him like a total fool almost an hour later.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If you promise not to bite my head off, you can get down, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you heard in your mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost pathetic how fast you jumped off your bed and ran to the open window. A young wolf half the size of what he would be in several years was pacing in front of your house. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You were supposed to come an hour ago!</span>
  </em>
  <span> you threw at him trying to sound as angry as you were a minute before.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Had to wait till my dad passed out on his bourbon first. Don’t be petty, you did stay up</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he told you and you literally could hear his smirk. You hated this boy so much, you thought, for being so right. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Get down, little alpha, we don’t have all night.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You rolled your eyes at the nickname you secretly loved and stepped away from the window. You thought how odd it was, how fast things were changing. Being raised in a wolves’ pack made you so used to the nakedness, yours and of other people. And kids of your age, you were trained together for as long as you could remember yourself, you’ve been so used to seeing each other bare and it was so natural. Was. Until it suddenly changed. You stepped out of the window and to the part of your spacious bedroom where he would have no chance to seeing you before you got to think about it. He still was the wolf you knew from the earliest days of your life, yet taking clothes off in front of him wasn’t so natural for you anymore. Was it that growing up, all the kids around were so eager to experience? Was it those strange things older girls were giggling about? Whatever it was, you were pretty sure you didn’t like it. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If you changed your mind, could have just said so, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he couldn’t see you, but he still could hear you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You started pulling your pj off. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Made me wait for you for hours and can’t wait five minutes yourself? </span>
  </em>
  <span>you snapped back.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait for what? You were just standing there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned and kept silence, deciding he didn’t deserve an answer. Instead you shifted and easily jumped out of the window. The slate cover of the roof was slippery under your paws, but you’ve done that so many times before. You let your paws slide down to the edge and pushed the very last moment, jumping off in one confident move. You landed right in front of him, your legs springing easily. You whisked behind the nearest bush and dashed toward the woods. The faster you get away from the house, the less chances your father or brother notice any of you. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So what was it you wanted to show me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? you looked back at Matt, who was running a little behind, as usual. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hope we’re not late, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said instead answering you straight and came forward. He was leading your to the Lakes, you knew for sure, been spending much more time in the woods than in your own house, so you'd learnt all the paths and ways here. But for some reason he chose not the straight way, rounding one of the smaller lakes. Finally he stopped behind a bush and peeked from under it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We’re right on time, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said, his words full of satisfaction and something else. Something deeper and darker, which made your fur bristle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You lowered your snout on your front paws and peeked from under the branches. Two young humans were running towards the lake, a girl a little forward and a guy behind her. They were both naked and laughing happily. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s all? </span>
  </em>
  <span>you grumbled, looking back at Matt. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You brought me here to watch two humans skinny dipping? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You know, as a future alpha you should have trained some patience already, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matt answered, lying down on the ground and not taking his eyes off the humans. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll never be an alpha and you know it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you huffed, settling down beside him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Your brother is a prick.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Prick or not, he’s a future alpha. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re my future alpha, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matt retorted looking at you,</span>
  <em>
    <span> and nothing will change it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Make sure you don’t say anything like this to my brother or dad. Or your dad for that matter… Are they kissing? </span>
  </em>
  <span>you huffed, looking back at humans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt chuckled, which sounded more like a high pitched roar. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Here’s the best part. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You saw humans get out of the water, the guy carrying the girl, her legs around his torso and his penis up. You’ve seen men’s genitals before and were pretty sure they weren’t supposed to look like this. The humans were kissing like crazy, not detaching their faces for a slightest moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What are they doing?</span>
  </em>
  <span> you mused out loud, scrunching your snout. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And what do you think?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Matt giggled inside your head, his voice is full of smugness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile the guy put the girl down on the grass and pointed his swollen penis to her pelvis. A moment later his penis disappeared in the girl’s body, lascivious moan flowing over the lake.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So that’s how it’s happening, ew, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you couldn’t hold back your disgust, watching humans move in a steady rhythm.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ew? Don’t be a baby!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Says you, who’s obviously coming here not for the first time to look at that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you snapped back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pervert!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You stood up and turned back to where you came from.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, where you going?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Home, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you shrugged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ve got an early training. And you too, if you don’t remember. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh come on! Let’s stay a while!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, thank you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you wagged your tail in front of his snout. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing interesting for me here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard his huff, as he stood up and followed you. You were running in silence for some time. You were acting it cool, but you’d have lied if you said you weren’t bothered by the scene Matt showed you. Or that you weren’t playing it on repeat in your head.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wanna try it some time? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he asked, catching up with you.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, for sure, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you snorted, your words filled with sarcasm. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But definitely not with you. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, I was the one who showed it to you! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Matt exclaimed, your mocking getting the best of him. You’d felt for some time already there was something more in Matt’s friendship with you than you were ready to accept. And you loved picking up on him for that. You started pacing around him, thinking of how easy it was for you to make him do whatever you wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wanna try it? Try and outrun me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you said and rushed towards your house, knowing full well that he would never had a chance to reach you. You were the fastest wolf among the pups of your age and, you were pretty sure, the whole pack. You heard him roar behind you, but there was just so much he could do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were running as fast as you could, not to win Matt, you just couldn’t help it. Your mentors along with your father were always joking how it was impossible to stop you once your were let to run. If there was really a thing about being a wolf you loved, it was this, the run. The wind whistling in your ears, green and brown blur the world was, the feeling of freedom only the run gave you. You felt like you had the whole world in front of you, waiting till you chose the side of it to start exploring. Even if you had no chance of such exploration. When you were running, you almost forgot about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon you weren’t able to make out Matt’s paws hitting on a soft ground behind you. The moon hid in the clouds and the forest got unusually murky. You slowed down, looking around wearily. You knew these woods as the back of your hand, yet you weren’t really sure where you were right now. Everything looking so dark and so strange. No sounds to reach your ears, not a single night bird, not even a cricket. You stopped completely, shrugging from the cold air, wandering, when did it get so cold. You looked at your paws, much bigger than they were when you were twelve, and saw them covered in fog. You smelled the rot, making your nostrils contract, and huffed at the sweetness of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then you heard him. A dry branch crackled behind you.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Matt? </span>
  </em>
  <span>you called, turning back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wasn’t Matt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ripper stood in front of you, bloody mash where his throat was supposed to be, an awful stump on the place of his right hand. He was smiling at you with his horrible lifeless smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look what you did to me, little alpha,” he gurgled, dark blood spilling from his mouth and down his ripped throat and chest. “Look at yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You followed his order, looking down at your paws. Only there were no paws. You were standing in front of him in your human shape, completely naked and covered in blood. It was his blood, you knew, the strains of it exactly how you remembered them. You looked at them in the mirror in Calum’s bathroom long enough that night to remember till the end of your life. The blood was all over your body and it was stinking. That sweet rotten smell you felt, you were the one spreading it around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your father would be so proud of you,” Ripper said and laughed. His horrible gurgling laugh was getting louder and louder, until it filled up the forest and then the whole world and when you thought you’d never be able to hide from it again, you opened your eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were lying in the bed. Crickets’ chirping flowing inside through open windows, Calum snuffled quietly beside you. You were at his place, you were safe and it all was just a dream. Yet you couldn’t fight how your blood froze in your veins and how hard it was to steady your breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You inhaled deeply and sat up in bed. You could hardly imagine going back to sleep now, but you also knew Calum was a pretty light sleeper and any movement of yours could wake him now. You sniffed the air around, concentrating on his wound on a leg. You got that habit in last couple days. Calum was healing fast as any other wolf, but the wound hadn’t closed completely yet and you were checking its smell every so often dreading to feel any trace of infection. But as many times before you didn’t smell anything strange, just healing flesh and intoxicating Calum’s smell. You huffed, slipped out of the bed and sneaked to the bedroom door. Duke, sleeping next to Calum’s legs, lifted his little snout and snorted in your direction. He looked at you for a moment and then lowered his head back on the covers and closed his eyes. You remembered with what caution and even suspicion the little dog treated you in the beginning. But not a week into your acquaintance and you weren’t any more fascinating for him than a piece of furniture. You found it amusing how instead of developing any feelings to you, Duke chose to ignore your presence, and only hoped he’d change his attitude in the future. You liked this pup and he was so in love with Calum, it made your heart melt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shut the door carefully and ran downstairs. You had one perfect recipe for sleepless nights and even though you hadn’t applied it for a long time, it seemed a good idea today. You slipped out of your clothes, dropping it on the dining room floor and whisked out through the glass doors into the backyard flowed with the moonlight. You shifted instantly and ran inside the forest, which started right behind Calum’s house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You ran fast, as fast as you only could, almost feeling the same freedom as when you were a kid. You thought how odd it was, you weren’t tied up by your family’s traditions and expectations anymore, but you couldn’t feel the freedom. You never felt it and got used to it years ago, to your own shame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The night air was whistling in your ears, ferns caressing your paws, trees stepping away to give you space, woods welcoming you like a long lost child. You ran till you couldn’t feel your paws and lungs anymore. You ran without any destination, not bothering with remembering the way, knowing your instincts would lead you back home. By the time you came across little forest pond, you were positively out of breath. But the numbness in your mind exactly what you were seeking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was sitting next to the water like he was waiting for you. But somehow, you weren’t surprised. Matt stood up, as he noticed you, and shifted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you were hiding from me,” he said with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sniffed around, making sure there were no one besides the two of you, and shifted. Cool air made you shiver, you body heated after your race. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been busy,” you shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With another wolf, as I smell,” he stated, same smirk still on his face, like it was some kind of a joke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You only frowned, not getting why he was saying it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve changed,” Matt said, couple of minutes of silence later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your words were free of sarcasm and flirt. You were really interested how much of a change he could see in you after ten years and also a little surprised he could make such a conclusion two minutes into your talk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have,” he confirmed. “Not only your body, though it changed too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shivered under his look. You felt just like when you were twelve and were stepping away from the window in order for him not to see you. You knew your reaction was irrational, this man saw you naked before numerous amount of times. Hell, he went with you through your first heat. But still you felt uncomfortable and couldn’t help it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stepped forward and sat on the shore, pulling your knees closer to your chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you wanted to talk,” you reminded him. “Talk then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt sat next to you, his eyes not leaving you for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“God, I missed you like hell, little alpha,” he mused out loud. The old forgotten nickname bringing up the chill. You saw Ripper in front of you again and needed to shake your head to drive the illusion off. You didn’t answer anything to Matt. Did you miss him, you questioned yourself again. No, you didn’t. You knew it well. The memories of your family and how you departed obscuring every other moment or face you could have remembered. You wiped out your past and never regretted it a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How have you been?” Matt asked, getting you wouldn’t say those words back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let a humourless laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, perfect,” you assured him. “No crazy family to torture me, no pack to care for, no everyday trainings and feeling imperfect as fuck. Freedom is great, Matt. You should try it some time too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled and went on, “So great that you gave it up for some other alpha?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t give up anything,” you sighed and stood up. In all the mess you’d had in your life lately, you were positive, there was no place for a ghost’s from your past jealousy. “If that’s what you wanted to talk about, I better just go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did try freedom, you know,” he threw back. “I left the pack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good for you,” you dropped, not looking back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m sorry, okay? Can you just wait? I promise, I won’t take much of your time,” he begged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed, stopping and turning around. You were asking yourself, what you were doing here, why you were listening to him. But you knew, what was more interesting is what he was doing here. Would you lose probably the only chance to know it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything has changed back home since you left.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed again. Is that where he was going with it? “I don’t care, Matt. If you came to talk about the pack, I’m sorry, but I’m not really interested.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t believe you,” Matt shook his head. “It’s still your pack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s not. Hasn’t been for ten years now. And it can go to hell, won’t be much difference for me anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know where those scars on your back are from,” he stated. You knew he heard bitterness in your voice clear enough to read between lines. “But pack is not only your father and brother. It’s other wolves too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s too bad for them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those wolves are still your pack, even if you chose to think differently,” Matt said, unknown sadness in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head, looking anywhere but at him. Whatever he said, whatever he could say more, you’ve made your choice that night ten years ago, bleeding on the driveway of your father’s house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was nice seeing you,” you said, metal now in your voice. “Though, I suggest you not overusing your welcome in this town. Local wolves don’t really like strangers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You saw a look of annoyance on his face, but didn’t care for it much. You shifted back into the wolf shape and ran back. You weren’t running away from him. You were pretty sure he still was unable to outrun you, but he didn’t even follow you, was still standing there looking at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let the wind and forest smells push him out of your mind, alongside with the memories of your long forgotten home. You were pacing through the woods, not hurrying much, until some rustle behind the trees made you freeze on the spot. You breathed in, trying to notice anything strange or unfamiliar in the night air. You looked around, the fur on your nape bristling. The place was so familiar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It struck you the next moment. That was the place from your dream. Here stood Ripper, waiting for you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt all your fears jumping on you, all the ghosts chasing you through the night. You ran off like you were running for your life, no matter the sleepless night or the distance you covered on the way here. You were running blind, faster than the light. You knew nothing besides your run. You had to run, you had to run away from it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let yourself relax a little only as you rushed back into Calum’s house. Familiar scents you got so used to in the last several days enveloping you, making you loosen up. You paced a little through the dining room, making circles around the pile of clothes on the floor and decided you were ready to shift. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked at your paws confused. Then tried again. And again. You looked at your reflection in the glass doors, tilting your snout in silent question. You were still a wolf. You wanted to shift back. And you couldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt exhaustion overflowing you as you let out huge yawn. You huffed and whisked upstairs, thinking that you were too tired and that was probably the reason you couldn’t shift. You pushed the door to the bedroom and went inside, steps of your soft paws soundless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke lifted his head up, disturbed by your presence once again. He looked at you, trying to understand what a big dog like you was doing in his master’s bedroom. He came up to the bed edge and sniffed you, you only happy to provide your face for that. As he recognised your smell, he huffed scornfully and got back to his place in between Calum’s legs now, not sparing you another look. You grinned to such reaction of a little dog and settled down on a rug on the Calum’s side of a bed. At least you couldn’t see dreams in a wolf’s shape. Being calmed by that thought, you lowered your snout on your crossed paws, closed your eyes and let your tired mind drift to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Light sounds of harp filled you with a rare serenity. Or maybe it was Calum’s smell, you didn’t quite know. You stole another look of him over the menu, ghost of a smile lingering on your lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we going for meat?” Calum asked you. You looked up at him, this time openly, and let the smile grow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” you confirmed. People joked sometimes how a wolf was always a wolf, even in a human shape. You did prefer meat to any other type of food, and, giving it another thought, you’ve never met a wolf who didn’t. Probably there was more truth to this stereotype after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded and, as the waiter came up to you, made an order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up at you again, as the waiter disappeared taking your menu with him, and smirked. His eyes lingered over your body, before he said, “Well, at least we made it to the restaurant this time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was there a chance we wouldn’t?” you asked innocently, but Calum only quirked an eyebrow at you and gave another dirty look to the neckline of your dress, which in this particular case should have been called a breastline. The waiter approached you again with a bottle of wine, stopping you from dwelling on the topic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You knew for sure where that Calum’s remark came from. This was actually your third attempt of having a date. The first time you didn’t even have a chance to put your shoes on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum came up to your apartment that evening, cause you were late from work and didn’t  have enough time to get ready. He lost it the moment he saw you opening a door for him. He blamed your top. Light beige fabric, almost the same colour as your skin, did make you look as if you were naked, but who knew it’d bring that reaction. His lips crashed yours before you uttered a simple “Hi”. It was almost a miracle you made it to your bedroom with how desperate that kiss was. You knew the fact that you’d spent the week before that at his house  but not letting him touch you because of his healing wounds also added to the nerve of a moment. When you finally detached from each other that night, all restaurants were long closed, but neither of you was upset about it. You ordered Chinese and ate it right in the bed, naked and happy. You were pretty sure it was the tastiest Chinese takeaway in your entire life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second time you settled for a blue dress with a high neckline, not to try your luck. That helped you make it to the movies, Calum planned as a beginning of your evening, having yet another restaurant reservation for later. But as closed as this dress was on the upper part of your body, it left your legs on full display to Calum’s genuine amusement. Not ten minutes into the film you felt his hand creeping up your thigh with an unmistakable intention. You were the only ones on the row and you let him have his way with you, his fingers soon dancing around your clit. In a bold attempt of paying him back, you shoved your hand down into his pants. As a result you came three times during that movie and he two. None of you could remember what the film was about. And of course, you didn’t make it to the restaurant that night either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So tonight was really a little victory for you. And looking at how deliciously stretched on his chest his navy button down was, you asked yourself how long would you two last. Calum smirked again at you and raised his wine glass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you thinking about there, love?” You smiled at him and sipped your wine, mirroring his action. He knew what you were thinking about, his next words only proving it. “So, will I get a prize if I hold all the date long?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not sure about the prize, but they say anticipation adds to the pleasure,” you mused out loud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t know how it can get any better,” Calum shook his head making you chuckle. “By the way, you look absolutely terrific in that dress.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. It was actually a gift,” you informed Calum after an appreciating nod, telling him what he’d already knew, as it was exactly the dress he brought you on the day of the attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that person has good taste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He does,” you agreed, “in women.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum laughed and you felt your heart trembling at how carefree and happy that laugh was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” you started with a little dramatic intonation when the food was served, “what do you do for the living,...Kevin, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum snorted at that and shook his head. He took a sip of his wine and looked at you, devils dance in his dark eyes. “Very funny.” You shrugged innocently. He huffed and answered, “I sell food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean, you owe a grocery shop?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Calum took one more bite of his meat, “we with Ash actually owe the eight biggest supermarkets in town, but we did start with a little grocery shop some years ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stared at him over the rim of you glass, comprehension taking some time. “So, the supermarket I was going to all that time…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup, that’s ours too,” Calum nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” you uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum shrugged. “It’s just business. Not better and not worse than any other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, I got it,” you waved your hand, showing it wasn’t what you were talking about. “Was actually wondering why I don’t have a discount yet,” you joked, making him smile wider, before asking the real question, “But why grocery?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause, why not?” Calum looked at you and added, “Eat, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re saying, you woke up one gloomy morning and thought ‘I’m gonna sell yoghurts!’, like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your persistence in not dropping the yoghurt topic made Calum chuckle again. You still called Andy ‘the yoghurt guy’ (mostly when Andy wasn’t around) and were bringing up poor dairy product in conversations under any excuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure if the morning was gloomy, but yeah, pretty much. It didn’t require so much specific knowledge and, I mean, people will always need food, so it’s really profitable in the long term meaning.” He threw another look at your barely touched meal. “You’re not eating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you have an instinct of feeding everybody?” you asked in return, quirking an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can draw any conclusions you want,” Calum focused on his own steak, almost successfully playing indifference.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do think the choice of a business says more about you as an alpha than as an entrepreneur,” you agreed, chewing on an asparagus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Following your logic, financial management should also say a lot about you,” your alpha noted with a wicked smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged, gave that idea another thought and said, “Financial management does require a lot of control and concentration, and those are two of quite a few things I’m really good at.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite a few things?” Calum repeated. “Sounds doubtful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no,” you hasted to assure him, almost hitting your glass with your fork in the process, “I’ve checked and it turned out no human acceptable professions require skills of hunting prey down in a dark forest or ripping throats out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If you couldn’t feel the change in Calum’s mood with your spine, just looking at how tensed his neck got would be enough. He put his glass down and looked at your warily. You kept yourself from rolling your eyes, knowing exactly what was going your way, and cursed the lack of a filter on your mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About ripping throats,” Calum started. “I know you keep saying you’re alright…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause I am,” you said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been sleeping not well lately,” Calum finished with a sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just the stress,” you repeated the same lie you’d been feeding Calum with for the last week. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stress doesn’t stop us from shifting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought, we discussed it,” you huffed, not daring looking up at Calum. Not because you were afraid of what you could see in his eyes, but because you dreaded he could see the ghost of Ripper in yours. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did,” Calum agreed. Cause you really discussed it, the very next morning, when Calum almost stepped on you, sleeping on the floor by his side of the bed still in your wolf shape. You discussed it and you promised you were alright and never mentioned your nightmare or the meeting with Matt. Just said you couldn’t sleep and went out for a run and was too tired to shift afterwords. But Calum felt there was something more to it than you were saying, your connection going deep enough for him to understand such things. He didn’t push, though, and let you have your way with it. But you knew he had been watching you a little more careful at nights since that morning and tried to wait till you fall asleep first. You both knew you weren’t completely honest with each other, but both kept silence, afraid of pushing too hard again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen,” you said with a huff, stretching your arm out and taking his hand in yours, “that night wasn’t easy for any of us and it’d be stupid to say it didn’t have its effect. But it’s nothing of a great importance, I promise. You don’t have to worry about me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s kinda the idea, no?” Calum smiled, squeezing your hand back. “I do wanna worry about you, omega.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Choose the better reason, then, alpha,” you shrugged. “And before you actually do, you can tell me how you met Ashton.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum’s smile grew bigger. “Well, that’s a funny story. Cause it definitely didn’t happen when I first moved to the town and he decided I came to overthrow him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, gosh, no!” you snorted in your napkin. “Don’t say he attacked you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded with a smirk, “That’s exactly what he did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You kept laughing. “And what’s so funny in this?” Calum huffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just… Come on, be honest, who won?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum rolled his eyes and that was enough for you to know the answer. “If you ever tell anyone, I’m never gonna eat you out again,” he said, his eyes narrow, but smile still on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You laughed even harder at his words. “That’s- that’s a serious threat,” you uttered, calming down a little. “But don’t you think never is kinda long?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never ever,” Calum confirmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure you’ll be able to keep this promise?” you smirked at him, suddenly feeling the need of his lips between your thighs. You pressed your legs together and by the satisfactory chuckle of Calum, you understood he noticed your subtle move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure you wanna check?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You only smiled to that, sipping on your wine. That little joking threat put you back on the track you were almost always at with Calum. The track of wanting each other a little too much, of teasing each other a little too hard, of feeling for each other a little too intensely. You could see the same flame back in his eyes and since that moment no matter what you were talking about, it all was just an act. The one you played, while waiting till you could hold each other again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which happened not so long after, with Calum pressing you to the wall in the dark hall of his house. His lips torturing your lips, his hands rolling up the hem of your dress impatiently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s needy,” you whispered in his ear when his lips slipped to your neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not my fault, your dress is a weapon of mass destruction,” he breathed between kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You giggled, his stubble tickling you. “Well, you chose it,” you reminded him, taking his jacket off hastily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, how right I was,” Calum mused, pulling your hips from the wall to roll the dress up. As his hands pushed the satin fabric to your waist, Calum froze, not feeling anything else on you. You felt rather than saw his quizzical look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And where’s your underwear?” he asked, his voice even heavier than before with all the lust and need. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged, “Didn’t see the point really.” What else was there to say? You were surprised with how long your date took, being sure Calum would have you naked in less than an hour. But he did hold all the date long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dirty little omega,” he whispered, pressing his still covered hard dick to your unclothed centre. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But that’s how you like me,” you whisper back, attaching your lips to his neck, his lustful huff being your award. You lifted up your leg and snaked it over his hip, pressing him even more into you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d like you any way I could get you,” Calum admitted. He picked both your legs up, you grasping his waist with them, and pinned you to the wall with his toned body. His lips found yours with another greedy kiss. His tongue kept assaulting your mouth, as you heard him unzipping his pants. “Gonna take you right here,” Calum breathed out. He wasn’t fully asking, but still you felt a ghost of hesitation in his actions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” you moaned into his mouth, pulling him fully into yourself, your arms around his neck. His left hand squeezed on your waist harder, probably leaving marks on your skin,while his right was hurrying to free his dick from his pants and underwear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Need help?” you giggled at his struggles, but the very next moment you felt him pushing into you. You opened your mouth, air leaving your chest, your legs squeezing around Calum uncontrollably, you almost lost it, feeling the stretch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I’m good,” Calum answered with a cocky smile, enjoying how worked up you got instantly. He rocked his hips once, crushing you into the wall, going on full and catching your broken breath with his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You didn’t need long, his hard pushes getting faster with every other minute, making your whines go louder. Anticipation definitely added to the pleasure, but shortened the length of it. You were biting on his shoulder through his shirt in no time, not having it in you to hold any longer, Calum roaring at the feeling of your walls squeezing his dick. He couldn’t hold either, coating your insides with his cum, his breaths short and heavy. You unclenched your teeth and threw your head back, looking at him, blue eyes glowing into yellow ones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Need to do this every evening,” Calum said, satisfaction all over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking against the wall?” you mused, not really getting what he was about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum chuckled, “No, taking you out on dates.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, please, dressing up each time?” you pouted jokingly. “Too much trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But the endings are blast,” Calum hid his face in your neck, you felt his smile on your skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s make it this way. Fuck me from behind on your bed and I promise to think about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt Calum’s whole body shake with laughter as he pushed you both from the wall. You clung on his shoulders and whined again, his dick still in you and moving inside with every Calum’s step, rubbing on your sensitive walls and getting harder from the friction again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure we’re gonna make it to the bedroom?” you giggled again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum didn’t answer, too focused on carrying you up the stairs and considering the idea of never letting go of you. Cause right now he was ready to do anything to hear these giggles till the end of his life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What have you lost there?” Calum chuckled, looking at you searching for something in the depths of your bag. You stopped at the traffic lights on the way to your work, you’re being already used to him driving you after spending nights at his place. Looking back at the couple weeks passed after the attack, you couldn’t remember when you drove your car last time. You missed driving a little, but had no objections against spending some more time in Calum’s black suv. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The gum,” you huffed, going through all the stuff you had inside your bag. “I remember buying it, just can’t find it now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you left it in some other bag of yours,” Calum suggested. After you spent first several days following the night of the attack, not leaving Calum’s side for long, some of your clothes and make-up and other stuff did roll over to his house. Along with you bags, to Calum’s utter amusement. First he just asked you if you really needed that many. Getting the look from you, he just laughed, but that marked the beginning of his mocking you. You couldn’t help it as you loved bags and considered them the only fashion weakness of yours and were just rolling your eyes each time Calum was making another remark. Just like he did now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not helping,” you muttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look in the glovebox, there should be some,” he told you, still tittering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You opened the glovebox and froze for a moment. The full pack of a mint gum was there. Alongside with some docs, a pack of cigarettes and your panties, the ones you left there yourself what seemed an eternity ago. You picked up the gum, closed the glovebox and turned to Calum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are my panties still there?” you asked with a wicked smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum smirked, not taking his eyes from the road. “They are my first present from you, gotta keep ‘em close.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The smell is worn off already, though,” he added visibly upset by that fact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you know where the laundry basket is, you can choose any other you like,” you laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but since you don’t wear them anymore, how long would those that are there last?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please! That was one time,” you rolled your eyes again. “I am wearing my underwear now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to know, as you’ll need them today,” Calum nodded, driving up to your office and stopping the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will need them?” you repeated as he turned to you with his whole body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Girls are picking you up tonight,” he said and took your hands into his. He thought and added, “If you don’t mind, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What girls?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gabbie and Lara, you know…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one that’s getting married on Saturday and the one that almost bit off those fuckers’ heads when we found you,” you interrupted Calum, listing what you knew about them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The very same,” Calum sighed, sensing the question in your words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why are two of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ashton’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>pure bloods picking me up after work?” you quirked an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To take you shopping,” Calum explained. You kept staring at him, giving nothing away. “Cause you need a dress for the wedding on Saturday,” he added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You went back to yesterday evening in your memory, reminiscing on Calum tearing your dress apart, too eager to get your naked. You did need a dress, especially after you’d confirmed on going with Calum to that wedding. But you still had no idea why you had to shop in a company of two pure bloods. So you kept staring at Calum, which, to your surprise, was really making him nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can question them on my behalf too, cause it was totally their idea and I have nothing to do with it, so please, stop burning a hole in my head,” he finally huffed, his eyebrows furrowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, pack mingling time?” you sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, you don’t need to worry, they’re good wolves and…” Calum had to stop under your teasing look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need to worry?” you asked him back, amused with how anxious for your he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum pulled you closer, “Too much sass for a little omega.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled into the kiss that followed, melting in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, buy something ugly,” Calum asked couple minutes later, his eyes still closed, your forehead rested against his, “so I can actually make it through the wedding without getting you naked in the woods nearby. I do need to keep a face in front of my wolves.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You chuckled and pulled away from him. “I’ll see what I can do,” you promised, pecked him on the lips one last time and without any other word left the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your smile disappeared as soon as you entered the elevator. You couldn’t show your nerves to Calum, knowing he’d go all overprotecting alpha and probably blame himself for troubling you. But you’d also lie if you said you felt absolutely at ease about that shopping with the pure bloods arrangement. You knew as an alpha mate you had your rightful place in his pack now and no wolf could challenge it. But you also weren’t a fool to believe everyone was elated to accept you. After all, Calum was a wealthy, fair and ridiculously attractive alpha, and you could only guess how many she-wolves’ game you put a crimp in with coming into town and his life. They had all their right not to trust you. You wouldn’t trust you if you were them, you though, sitting down at your desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You could successfully keep your nerves at bay with your work which, as you told Calum just yesterday, did require a lot of concentration. But as the end of the working day grew nearer, you felt all the stupid ideas creeping up on you. When finally leaving the office you were hoping them happen to be total bitches, for you at least knowing how to deal with those instead of subtle hating of smiling faces. You winded yourself up so much that when you saw them waiting for you in the parking lot, Lara sitting on her car’s hood in ripped jeans and combat boots and Gabbie giggling near in a light flowery dress, both being relaxed and looking so easy-going, you felt like the greatest fool in the world. Worrying about all the bad scenarios you hadn’t even considered the idea of everything turning up well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey there,” Lara called on you as you came closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled and already opened your mouth to greet them, when found yourself being squeezed in deceptively careful embrace of Gabbie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for agreeing to come to my wedding,” she whispered, her voice surprisingly trembling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s nothing really,” you mumbled in return, taken aback by such sentiment, “thank you for inviting me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not nothing,” Gabbie looked at you with all seriousness she had in her, “you’ve saved the pack. It’s a great honor for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You just stood there, totally at a loss for words, looking in the sincere face of that young girl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well done, Gabs,” chuckled Lara, jumping off the hood and stepping closer to the two of you. “Nothing’s more important than making everybody awkward at the first meeting.” She smiled to you and you felt the lump in your throat slowly sinking. “I’m Lara by the way, it’s nice to officially meet you. And I hope you won’t mind not hugging, stupid girly stuff is actually Gabbie’s prerogative.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing girly in showing your gratitude,” Gabbie huffed taking a step back from you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You snorted. “I don’t mind either way,” you assured them both and then smiled to Gabbie, “and we can hug any time you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabbie’s smile shone like a thousand suns at your words and you finally got a glimpse of understanding of all the warm feelings you sensed in Calum when he was talking about her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not half an hour later you were in a changing room with half  a dozen dresses and a slightly anxious bride waiting outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you have time for shopping?” you asked Gabbie, slipping out of your clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I thought wedding preparation takes all the time the bride have,” you explained, thinking what dress to try first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything’s been ready for some time. We actually postponed the ceremony, waiting till alpha gets better. And you’re so not wearing this to my wedding, Lara!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You peeked out in your half zipped dress to see Ashton’s pure blood in black leather dress, wrapping her body like a tight glove. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like you’re a bdsm porn model,” hissed Gabbie, coming up to you and helping you with a zipper on a light blue satin dress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, coming from you that’s an actual complement,” Lara mocked her, spinning in front of the mirror. “Can you imagine Luke’s reaction when he sees it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually can and that’s exactly why I’m saying no. I need my maid of honor next to me on my wedding day and not half naked in the woods having slutty wedding sex.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do know who you should be worrying about for having slutty wedding sex on Saturday, honey,” Lara chuckled and winked at you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked at them both not really getting that wink or why Gabbie suddenly looked anywhere but at you. You felt your cheeks turning red. You’d thought sometimes that your with Calum sexual life was too intense even for wolves, but you were also sure that you succeeded in not letting it out of your bedrooms. Or his car for that matter. And you were more than surprised that his wolves knew at least anything. Could there be any wolves in that cinema hall, you thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Relax,” Lara giggled, stepping away from the mirror and giving you space to examine the dress. “You’ve been together for less than a month. We all know how the story goes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled, looking at your reflection, but you’d lie if you said those words made you feel better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do?” you asked instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lara looked you in the face, mild confusion in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, going crazily physical </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> normal for mates. So, yeah,” she shrugged, watching your reaction carefully. You smiled and focused on the dress, trying not to let it shown how little you actually knew on the matter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It does get easier after mating. So no worries here, I know how difficult it can get,” Gabbie stepped closer and lifted your hair in an improvised high hairstyle. “This one would look lovely if you open your neck,” she suggested. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t believe a word she’s saying,” Lara smiled. “First, lusting over your mate won’t get any easier, so learn to live with it. And second, she’s too polite to tell you that light blue is her bridesmaids’ colour, so you probably better go for another one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, Lara!” Gabbie gasped, dropping your hair. “You’re awfully rude!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m just honest. Also, this dress makes you fat and you better leave your hair down,” she added, turning to you and looking at your neck, which, you remembered, had at least two hickeys after the previous night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, you laughed loudly. You couldn’t remember when you actually had girlfriends close enough to go shopping while discussing men and relationships, and this whole scene made you stupidly happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You grasped on Gabbie’s shoulders. “I promise we won’t have sex at your wedding reception,” you said, still giggling. “Any other colour arrangements I should know about?” you asked, going back to your stall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just keep away from anything blue or ivory related and you should be fine,” Lara said, turning back to the mirror.  “I’m so taking this dress,” she muttered with satisfaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabbie huffed, “You already have a dress for the wedding, why buying more?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kidding, right? There are never too many dresses!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True,” you smiled, emerging again in a pink gown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, I’m right,” Lara looked back at you and frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” you asked, turning to the mirror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too pink for a warrior princess you are,” Lara shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A warrior princess?” you snorted. “Since when do I owe the title?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since being the most badass omega she-wolf I’ve seen during the last attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I think pink suits everyone,” Gabbie noted, standing on the other side of you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean, you like this dress?” you asked, both you and Lara looking at Gabbie now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She huffed, “Well, you know, I think it does make you look more tender, which is good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gabbie, I look like a cupcake in fabric,” you laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you do, oh my god!” she rolled her eyes and laughed too. She sat back in her armchair, while you with Lara disappeared behind curtains. You had so much time to get out of the pink dress, but before you could put on anything else, you heard Lara cry out in her stall, “God fucking Jesus, aw!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You with Gabbie rushed to her only to find her leaning on a wall and rubbing on her right elbow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke?” Gabbie asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking wankers with their trainings,” Lara breathed out angrily, nodding. “I’m okay, Ashton threw him into a birch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trainings?” you asked. It was odd, seeing other wolf going through the same thing you went that night when you felt all the Calum’s injuries. But the pain should have been strong enough for Lara to feel it, so was the training that intense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, don’t get me wrong, I respect Calum and all the shit, but he’s been too active with training the guard lately,” Lara muttered, looking back at you. Her eyes widened up again and that moment you realised you were standing before them in only your underwear. “And not only with training, obviously,” she drawled, looking at his fingerprints and hickeys on your ribs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m sorry,” you uttered, stepping back. You weren’t embarrassed about your marks or anything. But Calum was one of these girls’ alpha and you had no idea how exactly the etiquette worked in such cases.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, don’t be, you’re one lucky girl,” Lara stittered. “I’m actually envious!” she declared then. “I’m off to buy some lingerie after we finish with dresses, I need some of those marks on me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so straightforward, it’s embarrassing,” Gabbie shook her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled and disappeared in your stall again. “Don’t be a prude,” you heard Lara hiss at Gabbie, and then call up on you again. “Just make sure you choose a dress to cover all of them, princess. We want you to survive the wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there a chance I won’t?” you asked, letting Gabbie to help you again with a zipper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, all omegas are gonna hate you anyway,” Lara confirmed your previous concerns, sitting down on the armchair to tie up her boots, dressed only in her jeans and bra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And some more than others,” Gabbie muttered behind your. “But you shouldn’t worry about the pack. Everybody’s gonna accept you as soon as you and alpha mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of looking at the dress in the mirror, your eyes got stuck on a dark mark on Gabbie’s neck, right under her ear. You’d seen Lara’s mark earlier too, on her throat up under her chin, much lighter in colour, probably because of being there longer. You thought about it again, what it would be like to have one on your neck, a perfect mark from Calum’s bite. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You didn’t like that dress either and hid behind the curtains, too deep in your thoughts again. You tried to imagine such deep connection between you and your alpha, asking yourself for a hundredth time if you could live like that. Mating was one of the most important moments in every wolf’s life, as you could have only one mate and this bound was forever. At least in theory. But it also meant no personal space. Mates shared not only pain, but all the feelings, deep thoughts, fears. You couldn’t lie to your mate, as you could never be alone anymore, even inside your own head. It scared you more than anything in the world, cause you knew you wanted to be with Calum. But after everything you’d seen in your life, you no longer believed in forever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So when is your turn, Lara?” you heard from behind the curtain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My turn?” You could already visualise Lara’s expression, even though you knew her for a little more than an hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, your and Luke’s turn to tie the knot finally?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you look at that!” Lara stood up and came to you, looking at you in awe. “I think we have a dress!” she concluded pushing you to the mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The dress is gorgeous,” Gabbie confirmed and looked back at Lara, “but don’t change the topic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lara rolled her eyes, “Why would we bother with human formality. We had our mating marks first night we were together, what else do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First night?” you blurted out before you could stop yourself, totally distracted from your dress by that time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lara shrugged nonchalantly, catching your full of surprise eyes in the mirror. “We with Luke loved each other since we were kids…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even though were dumb enough not to admit it for years,” Gabbie snorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everybody has their own way, Gabs, this was ours, nothing’s wrong with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She punched Luke right in the face two weeks before he graduated from school,” Gabbie said leaning closer to your ear, “and they haven’t said each other a word for the next two years! And she calls it ‘their way’ for God's sake!” she giggled under Lara’s intense stare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway,” said Lara, stressing the word, “when we did get together, everything was pretty clear from the start, so the mating mark came rather natural.” She pulled your hair to the back and fixed the neck line of the dress. “You’ll need big earrings and wine coloured lipstick.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have several to choose from,” you smiled, trying to focus on examining the dress, which was exactly what you needed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that what you’re worried about?” Gabbie asked out of the blue. “Mating?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And she nags me about being straightforward,” Lara sighed, stepping back to the armchair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Finding your mate does make you think about all sorts of things,” you admitted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no right or wrong time to do this,” Gabbie assured you, sounding so serious and wise all of a sudden. “Lara and Luke did it the very first night, while we with Pete needed almost half a year. Well, I needed, Pete just felt I wasn’t ready,” she added. “You will know when you should do it. Not like it’s expected or anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed. “He’s a pack’s alpha,” you said, revealing some of your worries and at the same time wondering how easy it was to trust these two she-wolves. “People do look up at him and expect things from him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not these things,” Gabbie smiled and shook her head. “We’re simply glad he found you. Calum is a great alpha and he deserves to be happy just like every one of us. But everything else is just between the two of you. Pack knows it, we respect our alpha’s privacy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Technically,” drawled Lara with a teasing smile, “Calum isn’t your alpha anymore, Gabs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabbie dramatically sighed and then giggled. “So, are you buying this dress or what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of you were walking up the street to Lara’s car an hour later, bags not only with new dresses but also lingerie and shoes in your hands. You felt so carefree you knew something was bound to happen. And then it did. He stepped out of a butcher’s and stopped, staring at you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed and asked, “You wanna maybe stop for some coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Confused looks changed into the content nods and not a minute later the pure bloods were entering the nearest coffee shop, assured you’d join them in a couple minutes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You crossed the road and came up to Matt, who was looking at you disapprovingly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was sure you left,” you started without any greetings, displease prominent in your tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t give up that easily.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What more do you want?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed and took half a step to you, “You promised we talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did. Too bad you couldn’t say anything interesting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to listen to what I have to say, little alpha!” Matt growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed, looking back at the coffee shop. You could see Lara watching you from the other side of the window, phone in her hand. Calum would be informed in a minute, if he wasn’t already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have time for it anyway,” you said and stepped back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And when will you have time?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked at Matt again, seeing your past, your family, everything you’d known standing behind him. Really, when would you have time for him and all of it? Would you have any for that matter?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And don’t give me that crap again, how you don’t care for the pack, we both know it’s bullshit,” he added, seeing doubt on your face. “The Lakes are in your blood. You can’t shake it off, little alpha.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned. No matter how much you fought it, Matt was right. You looked back again, seeing Gabbie now standing next to Lara as they both watched you. They were great, you couldn’t deny it. And you’d be elated for them to be your pack. But they weren’t. At least not yet. Your pack was far away from here, but it was still your pack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meet me here tomorrow at eight,” you dropped and turned away, not sparing him another glance and wondering if you really gonna regret it as much as you thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Setting sun was painting the valley in front of them all shades of pink and orange. Calum inhaled deeply, watching the town below them. The town they called their home and the one they sweared to protect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton came up to him, handed him a bottle of beer and jumped on the car’s hood Calum was sitting on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking dope place we’ve chosen for our packs, my friend!” Ashton declared, opening his beer. Calum could only nod to that as they clinked their bottles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, they took her shopping?” Ashton asked after they took their first sips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still think it was just a scheme to sneak from the training,” Calum chuckled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton snorted too, “With how active you’ve been this week, I don’t blame them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum just shrugged to that, they both distracted by Ashton’s phone vibrating. He picked it up and read a message. Then huffed, looked at Cal and then back at the message.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Calum asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lara says your omega is talking to that wolf who came to town the day before the attack. Do you know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does she know him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, as she’s talking to him right now,” Calum answered with a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did she tell you about him? Shall I send someone after him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No need, Andy’s already on it. But thanks for the info,” Calum frowned and took another sip of his beer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of girls, I had an interesting talk with Gabbie couple days ago,” said Ashton couple minutes later. “The one you should know about.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum turned to his friend, quirking an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She asked for my permission to stay a pure blood for your mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank Gabbie on my behalf, but there’s no need. I can protect my omega,” Calum said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More like she can protect herself if needed,” Ashton giggled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gabbie is your pure blood now, so...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I have Lara for whenever I meet my mate,” Ashton interrupted him. “So I told Gabs I see no problem to that. You can thank her yourself, she’s officially under your command now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum snorted. “Thanks, mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it would be easier for her like that anyway, with her siblings being technically the part of your pack,” Ashton shrugged, watching the valley. “And our packs are becoming one strange big pack with two alphas more and more with each year anyway. Not a lot of difference, who’s in command of one pure blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never asked you how you feel about that,” Calum said deep in his thoughts. “I just showed up here one day and decided to settle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I've kicked your ass for that already, so no need to feel guilty, wolf boy,” Ashton joked remembering the first meeting with Calum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but seriously?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously," he paused, searching for better words, "I feel much better knowing that if anything ever happens to me, there’s a wolf I trust to take care of my pack,” Ashton’s hand landed on Calum’s shoulder. “So, please, don’t fuck everything up at least in memory of your friend,” he then added barely holding back his laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do my best,” Calum promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence fell upon them again, two wolves were watching their home from above. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think it all goes fine on Saturday?” Calum asked not trying to hide his worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton smiled with a huff. “After what your woman did the other week, we with you, my friend, can easily retire and live happily ever after. Cause no asshole in the area of couple hundred miles will ever risk to bother us again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum proudly smirked. “I’ll drink to that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They clinked the bottles again and kept watching the valley, both of their packs were calling home. Hoping this fact would never change. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure about staying at your place?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled to the darkness of a parking lot and answered into your phone, “Of course I’m sure, Calum. I kinda still live there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can come if you want,” Calum offered. He was surprised by your wish to spend the night separately as you hadn't said anything on the matter in the morning. He felt you weren’t telling everything, but knew not how to ask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know when I’ll be home. Still have some business to take care of,” you said. That was exactly the reason you hadn't spoken about evening plans in the morning. It was much easier to lie to him on the phone than to his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I be worried?” Calum asked with a huff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Of course, no, just some company stuff, Cal,” you looked up the street, seeing Matt already waiting for you with two cups of coffee. “Listen, just get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Calum agreed. “I’ll pick you up at noon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You said your goodbyes and you shoved your phone in the jeans back pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Big cappuccino with foam and no sugar for you,” Matt said handing you a cup. “Just as you like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled widely and you felt shivers creep up your spine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” you said, taking a cup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” he frowned at the lack of enthusiasm. “Don’t say you stopped drinking coffee!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not entirely, just switched to black and one cup a day,” you shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn! You really did change,” Matt tried to joke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t say,” you muttered and looked around the street, you back itchy from all the looks you imagined were aimed at you. But no one was looking. Everybody was rushing around busy with their own stuff and you saw no wolves anywhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we could just walk around,” Matt suggested, touching your elbow. “You could show me the town.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been here for two weeks and still hasn’t seen it?” you frowned, thinking how many wolves you would actually meet if you agreed on walking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bang of a door on your left drew your attention. You turned that way and saw Andy leaving the coffee shop and eyeing you suspiciously. He picked up his phone almost immediately. You felt anger rise up inside. You weren’t doing anything wrong, or even objectionable, just meeting your childhood friend for coffee. You looked down on your Converse and pointed to the right. “There’s a nice park that way. Can walk there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt smiled and followed your lead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how did you end up here?” he asked you as you two entered the park lanes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got transferred at work,” you explained shortly. “Is that what you wanted to discuss? My work? Or why have I chosen this place?” you asked not really caring for your tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt huffed, you felt his displeased sight on you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I actually thought you’d be happy to see me, to be honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You had to use all your self-control not to laugh at this. “Matt, seriously, you come find me after I've spent 10 years running away and hiding, bring up my long buried and forgotten past and keep following me, persuading there’s something of great importance I should know. And when I finally agree to listen to you, you choose to waste time on a meaningless chit-chat. Well, my bad I’m not excited. Sorry about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt nodded to his cup. You knew you were being a bitch, but couldn’t help it. You suddenly realised, how weak you kept feeling this last week. Was it connected to Calum stepping in into your life, or was the sudden return of Matt to your life the reason, but you suddenly felt almost as weak as the night before you ascended. You’d been in control of your life for so long, that losing it for even several days was making you nauseous. You wanted it to stop, wanted to be the one making decisions again. And getting rid of Matt was the first step towards it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you everything has changed back home since you left,” Matt said with a sigh, giving in and turning to what he really came for. “You father is still an alpha technically, but he doesn’t take almost any part in ruling the pack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt your shoulder twitch instinctively at the mentioning of your dad. You saw him in front of you, tall, severe brown eyes looking at you, waiting for you to become better, stronger, more cruel and stern. The alpha he wanted to see in you, the monster he was trying to create from you. You came to the point in your life, where you could spend years without remembering that you had a father at all. But now, seeing him in your memory you were overwhelmed with how much feelings you still had for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your brother took the power,” Matt kept talking, not really noticing your distress. “We always knew he was a damn bastard, and, trust me when I say, he lived up to all the expectations.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You lifted up a cup and sipped on your coffee to hide your confusion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He changed the hierarchy in the pack. We basically don’t have an elderly council. He makes all decisions without asking for their advice, he has his own council, made up of his closest pure bloods and ass-kissers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You were a pack’s pure blood too,” you mentioned, deep in your thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt sighed, looking at you again. “Your brother knew I was loyal to you, he never let me close to himself,” he thought a little and added, “And was perfectly right, I wouldn’t miss on a chance to rip his heart out for what he’s done to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You two were exactly between two lamps and you used the lack of light to roll your eyes. Matt had always been too much of a boaster and you weren’t so happy to see that hadn’t changed with time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea what happened that night,” you reminded him. “What were you going to pay him back for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve seen scars on your back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what?” you smiled, feeling somehow calming down. Matt still was the same hot headed boy you remembered. “I could get them anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He was the reason you left,” he said stubbornly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe yes, maybe no,” you replied and looked around in search for a trash can, but your gesture was understood differently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We aren’t followed,” Matt said, his tone angrier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” you looked back at him, not even getting what he was about at first. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re afraid his wolves are following us, aren’t you?” Matt explained, a strange grimace on his face. Like he was disappointed in you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was looking where to put that, actually,” you explained, lifting up an empty cup, your irritation raising up again. Why were you even bothering with making excuses? “And yeah, I’m fully aware his wolves aren’t following us, cause there’s no reason for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him </span>
  </em>
  <span>to send anybody following me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt huffed, stopping next to you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, okay?” he muttered. “It’s just-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, okay? I guess, it’s not what I was expecting to see, when I finally found you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked at him, deep frown between your eyebrows. “Not what you were expecting to see?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I mean, I knew you ran away for a reason, but I definitely didn’t expect to find you peacefully settled by some pretty faced alpha! This is not you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked away. Was that what he thought about you? That you settled down? Found the easier way to live a quiet life not bothering yourself with anything, decided to become what was the closest to a trophy wife in the wolves’ world?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is not you, little alpha,” Matt said, his voice quiet and sad. “This life is not for you. Don’t you miss the Lakes? Don’t you miss what you once were? It should be you leading the pack now, not your wanker of a brother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter, Matt. I can’t go back to the Lakes. And I’ll never be able to lead the pack. Whatever way I chose to live my life, you’re in no place to judge me. You weren’t there that night, when I left, you know nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know more than enough,” he said, stepping closer. Suddenly you felt with all the clearance that you two were completely alone in the park late in the evening and he was standing a little too close for your liking. “I know that people are still waiting for your return. They believe you’ll come and save the pack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t need to be saved,” you shook your head again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell  me you don’t know what a disaster your brother is. What do you want me to tell you? How his pure bloods rape omegas of the pack, calling it showing them their place? How they set up fights for fun, almost tournaments for your brother’s amusement? Hell, they even started to steal girls your brother chooses from the neighbourhood, not only wolves, human girls too. People wanna leave the pack, but they’re scared your brother will catch them and kill. He did with one family already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You closed your eyes. You had no trouble believing your brother was capable of all those things, but you didn’t want to hear of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m an omega, Matt,” you said, not daring to meet his eyes. “You’re looking for a pack leader in the wrong place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed your forearm and pulled you closer, you felt his hot breath on your face. “You’re kidding, right? You’re an alpha’s daughter. You were raised for this position. You spent your whole life in front of these people, they’ll go after you in a heartbeat, no questions asked.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what is it for you in that?” you asked, finally looking up at him. “You’re a pure blood, Matt, go and challenge my brother, you’ll become the rightful alpha, problem solved. Why going in all the trouble and looking for the long lost omega?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you know that?” Matt asked, the look in his eyes was so difficult to understand. “You left not only the pack or your family that night, little alpha. You left me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You saw it coming, would lie, if you said what happened next surprised you at all. And still you let it happen, let him kiss you and let yourself answer him too. Matt wasn’t just the ghost from the past, he was also everything you remembered your home to be. He smelled of the Lakes and your childhood adventures. You felt a little scar on his upper lip with your tongue, you knew that scar so well, you still remembered leaving it. You knew the strength of his arms, surprisingly could remember it from your first heat. He was the home you’d never thought you could return to and you couldn’t help it, you dwelled into his touch, into his kiss. You’d longed for this feeling for ten long years, how could you possibly resist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You dropped your cup. That’s how the moment ended. You dropped your cup, the knock it produced more like a thunder to your ears. You stepped away from him, breaking the kiss. You looked in his face, a little blurry under the yellow light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t go,” Matt asked. “You know I’ve loved you since we were kids, you’ve always known it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have,” you easily agreed. You’ve really known, probably since that night you both were twelve and he took you to peek at that human couple on the lake. But you also knew one more thing pretty clear. “But you haven’t seen me for ten years, Matt. And you said it yourself, I have changed. I’m sorry about what’s happening to the pack, but it’s not my problem anymore. I’m not coming back. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just stood there, looking at you with all the hope he had inside of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, go, Matt. Don’t search for me. There’s nothing for you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You turned around and walked away. You felt him with your back, could hear him still standing on that spot you left him at. But for some reason you didn’t feel anything about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You left the park and turned to your place, but suddenly felt that was the last place you’d wanna go. Four walls of your bedroom seemed more like a cell now. You were afraid you’d suffocate there. You crossed the road hasty and turned to living area, which stood at the border of the woods. You felt you needed space, the solitude only the forest could give your. And the moment you stepped into the shadows of the trees,you felt it all falling on your shoulders. You thought of turning into a wolf, but dismissed the idea instantly. You were too emotional, had too much of a mess inside your head, the risk you won’t be able to turn back too scary. So you just took a deep breath and set to run. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You had no idea why you were running or what away from. You just felt you needed to run, to feel the wind in your hair and the grass under your feet. Like these were the last things on this earth you could possibly ever feel. You were running as fast as you could, your human muscles soon aching from the exercise, your lungs aching for the break. But you couldn’t stop, you just couldn’t. So you ran. For minutes and hours and days and weeks. Or at least for what felt like it. Until you fell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You didn’t know what it was, a branch or an untied shoelace. You just tripped over and you fell. The ground was soft though, covered in ferns, warm from the day. It smelled of all the forest smells you’d known since you were little. And this moment you broke down. All that you were bottling up inside rushed to the surface and you had nor the strength, neither the wish to hide it anymore. So you just lay there and cried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt it all being so right, with it happening while you were alone in the woods. A lonely wolf, with no home and no pack. That’s how you were living your life. And you were so tired of it. Matt only reminding of all you’d lost happened to be enough for it to break you. He wasn’t wrong, you missed your home. You missed it like crazy. You missed the Lakes and the pack, the council always looking out of your, the life order being so natural and familiar. You missed it more than you were ready to admit. You were so tired of being alone, being no one’s wolf. You hated it, the feeling of not belonging, of not being a part of something bigger and more important than you. And there was nothing you could do about it. Your home was lost forever and a monster like you had no hope of finding the way back again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt his scent before you could see him, his black fur making him indiscernible in the dark woods. He came up to you slowly and lay down, his snout right in front of your face. He whined quietly, his dark eyes twinkling with sadness. His scabrous tongue licked your cheek, making you wince a little. You dipped your hand into the fur on his scruff and held while keeping crying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt a warm wave covering you, making you feel little less alone, reminding you that he was here for a reason. He didn’t try to say or ask anything, just lay there with you, occasionally licking on your face and letting off a whine. You looked in his dark eyes and kept thinking how he was ready to give you everything you longed to have, home, pack, your place in the world. And how he was willing to give you even more than that. Could you take it? Did you deserve any of it? Did you deserve him? You knew, you didn’t. But you still couldn’t let go of his fur, you couldn’t let go of him. So the two of you kept lying there, till you had no tears left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when they finished, you closed your eyes and gathered what strength you had left. You stood up, Calum following you suit, kissed his snout right between his eyes and whispered, “Let’s go home, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke was eyeing you from his place near his bowl. He bent his head to the left a little and looked like he couldn't quite comprehend the heck you were doing in his master’s kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I knew,” you answered to the little dog under your breath and switched your attention to your coffee cup. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was barely eight in the morning and you were alone in Calum’s kitchen. He left at the crack of dawn god knows where and still hadn’t returned. You stared at you coffee cup once again, figuring out if you wanted any food or not. Duke huffed behind you, yawned and left to the living room. You took it he decided he couldn’t do anything about you being here, so he let you be. For now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled and looked around the spacious kitchen, all covered in chrome and stone, trying to imagine yourself cooking breakfasts and dinners here, dark haired pups running around this kitchen island. Could it all be? Could you have it one day? Could you really call this mostly empty house a home?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A garden door slid open, letting inside chilly morning air and dressed only in his pants Calum. You came up from your thoughts and looked at him, question in your eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning,” Calum smiled to you and headed to the fridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been running?” you asked, noticing the layer of sweat on his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum switched the stove on and looked back at you. “No, we had an early training with the guard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked back through the glass wall behind you at the backyard and the woods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that why you’ve bought this house?” you asked, a sudden idea popping up in your mind. “To have an access to the woods?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded, taking food out of the fridge and humming something under his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I owe the woods too,” he said, closing the fridge and turning to the stove. You felt your mouth open at these words in shock. “The pack needs it and I don’t wanna some idiot to start building another block of flats or a mall here,” Calum explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve been training a lot this week,” you noted a little later, watching him preparing ingredients for an omelette. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want some?” Calum asked, pointing at bacon. You shook your head. You felt sick just from looking at food. “The last attack just made me think,” he said, answering your earlier question. “I used to believe our fighting strategy was pretty good. But here comes couple assholes with darts and sedatives and my best pure bloods and me myself are out of the fight in a minute.” He stroke his chin. “I was trying to change something, make us more invincible for guns.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And how’s it going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alpha let a humorless laugh, put his breakfast on a plate and settled at the kitchen island opposite you. “Not really good, to be honest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, you just need to break the lines,” you smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Calum frowned with mouth full of bacon and eggs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your smile grew wider at how goofily adorable he looked at that moment. You sighed and put your cup down. “When you fire a gun, the most important thing is aiming. The less predictable your trajectory is, the harder it is to aim at you. You need to teach your wolves to attack not in straight lines, but in crankles, so whoever tries to attack you wouldn’t be able to predict where you’d be next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum gaped at you. “Sounds brilliantly easy,” he concluded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, it’s not. The main problem is that during the fight it’s easy to forget about it, so you better work out the attack lines for the whole guard and train them till your muscle memory kicks in. It’s hell of a work, but it’s really worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know all of it?” Calum asked with a snort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed and looked away. “That’s how I was trained,” you admitted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded and looked back at the clock on the stove. “Let’s go, you’ll show me,” he said, standing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Show you what?” you asked, taken by surprise and not fully getting what he wanted from you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“These crankle lines. Come on, we still have enough time before the wedding.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice was deep and smooth, you could feel he wanted something different from you and his ask was aimed differently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can’t do it now, Calum,” you shook your head, uneasy feeling settle in your guts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure we can, will only take fifteen minutes,” he kept persuading you. “Will shift fast and won’t go too far into the woods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there you get it. “I don’t want to,” you let through your greeted teeth, trying to suppress your anger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t wanna show me, don’t wanna show me now or don’t wanna shift?” Calum asked, showing what he was really curious about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about shifting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When what is it about?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum’s breakfast was long forgotten, his eyes glued to your face, trying to catch every shadow of emotions you could possibly have. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found you in the middle of the woods, crying in your human shape,” Calum reminded you. “What was it about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You snorted, “Definitely not about shifting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least that was not a lie. You did have a lot you weren’t ready to share with Calum about last night, but fear of shifting wasn’t on the list. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed, put down your cup, stood up from your place and headed upstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t go away from me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will do whatever the fuck I choose,” you threw over your shoulder, knowing he followed you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about choosing to talk to your alpha, then?” irritation clear in Calum’s voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not my alpha yet, Calum,” you said as you entered the bedroom and stepped to the armchair, where your clothes were put in a neat pile. You knew your anger was mostly unreasonable. It wasn’t Calum’s fault he was worried about you. And it definitely wasn’t his fault you couldn’t tell him all of your fears. But you couldn’t help your reactions. You were so tired of feeling weak, you had to protect at least this part of your soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum leaned on the bedroom door, sighed and watched you putting on your jeans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen,” he started, taming his own emotions and trying to speak in a calm way, “I’m just concerned about what’s going on with my mate, you can’t blame me for that. I mean, I find you in the forest in such despair, it made my wolf instincts kick in. I wanna know what’s going on with you so I can help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing to help with,” you dropped, taking his shirt off and fixing on your bra. “Just women’s hormones. You know, pms, all that stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re saying you’re gonna have breakdowns like that every month?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much. So you better think one more time if you really need such a hysterical mate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You picked up your Converses and tried to sneak past him out of the bedroom. Like you had any chance of actually doing it. He just pulled you by the waist and embraced you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t wanna think about that,” he breathed in your hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed, but didn’t answer anything. Just lifted your free hand and let your fingers dive in his curls. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, what I also don’t wanna do?” Calum asked and after you hummed, signalling you're ready to listen, continued, “Fight with you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t fight with me then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stood like that for some time, just holding each other, when Calum started moving you back into the bedroom. “Cal, no,” you tried to stop him, smiling. Your shoes fell on the floor with a thud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he whispered stubbornly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have no time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have plenty of time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt your legs crash into the bed and the next moment you were lying under Calum, him starting to kiss you neck. You giggled, his light kisses tickling the sensitive skin. “Cal, stop, we can’t,” you breathed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we can.” He tugged on the neckline of your shirt, burying his face on your chest, his hands working on your jeans buttons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The wedding is…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...in four hours. We have time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You laughed shortly and took his face in your hands, making Calum look up at you. “You have time, mister. Because you need to just what, put on a suit and you’re instantly a hot irresistible alpha. When I actually need time to get ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum sighed, his smile as soft as ever, and put a hair strand away from your face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re always hot and irresistible,” he whispered. And bent down to your lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The answer is still no,” you said when he broke the kiss some time later. Calum pouted and dropped his head on your chest again in a defeated gesture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re mean,” he mumbled, making you giggle. “And I need to somehow hold through the wedding after that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’ll have to control yourself, cause I promised Gabbie we won’t have sex at her wedding,” you laughed, remembering the talk you had with her and Lara when shopping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did what?” Calum gaped at you and shook his head in disbelief. “I hope the dress is ugly, at least?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The ugliest I could find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Liar,” Calum smiled and went on kissing you again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you drive me home?” you asked in the pause between kisses. Suddenly your question made Calum huff, his face getting more serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, you don’t mind if Andy drives you?” he asked. “If you’re going, then I’ll need to work a little. Still have to finish some stuff before I go tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned. “Go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I didn’t tell you?” you shook your head, looking at him in confusion. Quarter of an hour before you wanted to free yourself from his presence for as long as possible, suffocating from his questions and care, wishing again for the freedom you had before you met him. But this news made your insides freeze. “We’ve been having negotiations about buying couple of shops in a town nearby. Need to close the deal, but for that I need to go there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For long?” you hated how upset your voice sounded, but couldn’t help it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Four or five days. Will be back by the weekend,” he promised. You nodded, playing with the chain on his neck and not looking him in the eye. You wanted to ask him to stay, wonder why Ashton couldn’t go instead as it was both their business, but kept successfully biting your tongue. Whatever you might have felt to Calum, you weren’t ready to become that woman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pressed his nose to your cheek. “Gonna miss me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” you smiled viciously. “Gonna actually enjoy the opportunity to sleep at night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum laughed loudly at your sass and bent down to kiss you one last time before letting you go. These last kisses, long and tamed and steady, were the only kisses you hated. But that you wouldn’t tell him either. Whatever you might feel to Calum, you weren't ready to let him that close to you. At least not yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked above the improvised venue almost in the middle of a forest. You knew from Calum that there were tents ready in case of rain, but the sky had been clear all day and now, in the golden rays of setting sun and lights hanging over the venue the whole place illuminated with warmth and happiness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gabbie’s ivory dress looked so good in surrounding warm colours of nature, and her bridesmaids only made the picture more fresh with their light blue gowns. You understood why Lara fell in love with your dress so instantly in the shop the moment you with Calum drove up to the venue. Its deep emerald colour made you look so in harmony with the surrounding, only emphasizing your deep connection to the nature. Which, probably, also added to Calum’s discomfort, as he sighed each time his eyes settled on you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his eyes weren’t the only ones to settle on you. Through all the ceremony you felt people watching you intently, which made you wonder if at least half as many people were looking at the bride. You kept questioning if coming to the pack for the first time was logical at such an event. But you’d already came, so those questions had close to no meaning now. As time passed, people showed less and less interest in you, most of them now looking at you with content and, dare you say, appreciation. Most, but sure as hell not all. You’ve noticed several young she-wolves as you just came, their eyes hard as knives. You were ready for it. What you weren’t ready for was one specific girl. He blond wavy hair couldn’t soften the look of pure hatred on her face. And what is more, she looked at Calum like she had some rights for him, leaving you to wonder how much of Calum’s past you actually wanted to know about. You felt there was some bad blood there between them and weren't sure you wanted to get in the middle of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tried your hardest not to pay any attention to that girl, more often watching Gabbie and her now husband dancing, chatting to people eager to congratulate them and just being disgustingly in love with each other. You took a deep breath, all of the morning questions and doubts coming back to you. You tried to picture yourself and Calum on Gabbie and Peter’s place. You’d look odd in a white dress, you thought. White colour was the symbol of purity. And you with all the blood on your hands would be just a mock if wearing white. You instantly looked away and lightly shook your head, trying to suppress pictures of Ripper’s body in your mind. Even two weeks later he kept emerging in your head each time you let your self-control weaken at least for the moment. But now was definitely not the moment. Not in the middle of fantasizing about your own happily ever after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha thinking ‘bout there, love?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked on the left, where Calum approached you. A glass of champagne in his hand for you and a glass of water for him. You looked at his drink, quirking an eyebrow in silent question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do,” Calum shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think we have something to worry about?” you asked, noticing all the guard with same glasses of water and juice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum chuckled and shook his head, “Definitely not in the near future. You see, there’s that rumor going around about </span>
  <em>
    <span>a crazy omega bitch</span>
  </em>
  <span> protecting this town borders. Guess, will win us couple easy years.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing all the hard work and all I get is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crazy omega bitch</span>
  </em>
  <span> title?” you pouted, sipping on your champagne.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rumors are mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess I should be happy it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>bitch </span>
  </em>
  <span>and not </span>
  <em>
    <span>slut</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at least,” you concluded, making Calum laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stood there for some time, just enjoying the moment, when Calum asked you again, “So, what were you thinking about before?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You took a deep breath. “What do people think about at weddings?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Having it all for themselves one day,” Calum answered instantly, not even taking a moment to think. You looked at him, startled by such a straightforward response. He wasn’t looking at you, his eyes following newly wed couple, soft smile lingering on his lips. Was he having similar thoughts as you? Was he wondering if you two were destined to have it all one day?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Predictable, huh?” you tried to hide your confusion and distress in your glass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d say natural,” Calum shrugged easily and turned to you. “So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waited till you finally looked at him, your attention drawn by his silence, and only then asked, “Do you see it happening in your life one day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt your heart clench with sadness and tenderness, seeing doubt and even fear in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you asking me about, Calum?” you shook your head. You didn’t want to play hints, not when the topic was that serious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed, looked away again and then started speaking, his voice lower and somehow deeper. “I don’t wanna push you, but I do want it, love. You can’t blame a man for having certain ideas after he finds his mate. I want a family of my own, want a house which I could finally call a home. I want to have kids one day, too. Not tomorrow, of course, but one day,” he took a pause, sighing again. “And, naturally, I want it all with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He met your startled look, seeing bewilderment on your face you couldn’t hide if you wished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not asking any questions now,” he tried to calm you, “just trying to be honest with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stepped closer to him, lifted on your tiptoes and kissed his cheek softly, caressing the other with your hand.  “I know,” you whispered, as his arm snaked around your waste. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This dress is the complete opposite of ugly, for your information,” Calum huffed a moment later. You felt his muscles stiffen under your touch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you like it,” you smiled, not opening your eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just admit it, you enjoy my suffering.” His lips touched your palm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You kept silent, smiling subtly to his tender gesture. You rested your forehead at his chin and closed your eyes, bathing in the serenity of the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which sadly lasted for about three seconds and a half, with a light voice sounding right next to you, “Okay, lovebirds, you’ve officially crossed the line.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You detached from Calum and saw Lara standing with her arms crossed, looking at the two of you mockingly. You peeked back at Calum, who was obviously amused by Lara’s emerging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which line?” he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of allowed amount of physical contact,” she informed him and pulled on your arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who, pray, set the allowed amount of physical contact?” Calum kept interrogating, hardly keeping himself from laughing out loud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did,” Lara answered, not embarrassed a bit. “You see, certain promises were made, and I’m here to guarantee a compliance of them,” she added with a snort. “Call me a moral police.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum chuckled as he watched his best friend’s pure blood taking his mate from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gotta say, with how headstrong they both are, they’ll make a terrific duo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum looked back to see Ashton standing near and looking in the same direction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And Gabbie’s gonna third wheel them all the time and try to stop from all the reckless ideas they’re gonna have,” he added with another chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Falling for those ideas in the end and being even more reckless to both their surprise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two alpha laughed to the image and clinked their glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Happy to see you two together,” Ashton said. “Who knew it would take you bleed almost to death for her to fall for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t bleed to death,” Calum frowned with a snort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy,” Ash easily agreed as they both watched Lara introducing you to Luke and Mike. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you do me a favour?” Calum asked, suddenly serious as ever. He couldn’t get his eyes off of you, knowing well Ashton got what kind of favour he was asked about. Not like Ash had to be asked about that at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Older alpha just nodded and patted his friend's shoulder. It had been years since they needed some words to be spoken out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed like the darkness swallowed you two. You were sitting in Calum’s car, going down the unlit road through the forest. Dim glow of the dashboard the only source of light. You both were keeping silence, each deep in their own thoughts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You kept replaying everything what happened at the wedding. You felt your brain being in the overdrive but couldn’t stop. Good memories, like meeting Lara’s boyfriend, an amiable shy giant with golden curls and eyes as blue as an ocean, or talk with Gabbie full of warm hugs and tender words. And not so good memories, like stingy looks and confused feelings. Your racing mind stopped for a moment on the image of that omega, who kept looking at you all evening long. Emily, that was her name according to Lara. And her name wasn’t the only thing you found out from Ashton’s pure blood. You threw a careful look at Calum, who was driving. You still had no idea how you felt about him having an ex in his pack and didn’t know if it was worth asking him about her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at him, even for a moment, pushed your thoughts back to his confessions. You inhaled deeply, same questions rushing through your mind again and again. Could you? Could he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rushed thought burnt you suddenly. At least he was honest with you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You turned to him. He looked rather relaxed, right hand on the steering wheel, left stroking his chin. He was doing it often when thinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I lied,” you broke the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum glanced at you, frowning at your words, but not saying anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yesterday,” you kept explaining, not sure if he got what you were talking about. “When I said I had some company business. It wasn’t a company business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Calum admitted, not looking away from the road anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I met with another wolf,” you continued, wondering if you were making it better or worse, but unable to stop now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I also know,” Calum confirmed and you remembered Andy picking up his phone when he saw you last night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“His name is Matt, he was a pure blood in my father’s pack. I’ve known him since I can remember myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded, “And that I figured out, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed. His reaction, or even the lack of any, confused you more than anything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He kissed me,” you blurted out before you could stop yourself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum nodded again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me you somehow knew that too,” you rolled your eyes, getting annoyed with his calmness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I felt his scent when I found you in the woods. Didn’t know about the kissing, but knew for sure he held you close enough for some time,” Calum explained, his voice as quiet and flat as ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked back into the darkness behind your window. The mix of emotions you felt was pretty indescribable, not even mentioning confusion. You turned back to alpha, noticing that his hold on the steering wheel got tighter. Was that really all the reaction you were to get?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you knew all of that, weren’t you furious?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I was! Still am, if you’re interested,” Calum huffed, finally showing at least some emotions you knew were boiling inside him. It just hit you, how much all of the emotions you felt were his, and not yours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why didn’t you go all thermonuclear on me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum let a humourless laugh and shook his head. “Well, appreciate my self-control.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And at that moment you finally succeeded in dividing emotions inside on yours and Calum’s. You felt his anger and his resentment, his jealousy, sadness and all the passion he had been bottling up. A tender smile lit up your face at the realization of how much he was keeping back in a mere attempt not to scare you off, not to push too hard for your liking. Even if there were all the reasons for you to be pushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pull over,” you said, unbuckling your seatbelt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No!” Calum scrunched his face, not getting what you had in mind now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pull over, Calum, now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See that line on the right of you? It actually means it’s prohibited to pull over here,” he scoffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And who’s gonna see? We’re literally in the middle of nowhere. Pull the damn car over!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum huffed, but did as you told, his irritation raising up with every other minute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What now?” he snapped, turning to you as the car fully stopped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But you had no time for his irritation, already standing on your knees on the seat and crashing his lips with yours. Calum froze for the moment, taken aback by your passion, but soon enough you felt his hands tangle in your hair, pulling you even closer. You wasted no time and unzipped his pants, your cold hand on his dick making him gasp. You used his momentary hesitation to slip lower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Calum whispered, breathing harder, as you freed his dick completely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Appreciating,” you smiled, glancing at him one last time before going on with your plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you don’t- Oh, shit,” Calum sucked in the air, his hand instinctively lay on your head, as you sucked his dick inside your mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let your tongue dance a little around the head, holding his dick at the base, as it wasn’t fully up yet. You stroke your flat tongue all the way up from the base, feeling him getting harder and harder, and clasp your lips around the head again, sucking on full. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, baby, just like that,” you heard him whispering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum got your hair together and pulled a little, setting a pace. You hummed to his help, the vibration in your mouth making him groan. You kept bopping your head, going with your hand on the part that didn’t fit inside your mouth. You heard his breath halt, his hand holding tighter on your hair. You let his dick out of your mouth to take as much air as you could and took him back in, going as deep as possible. And then you let your throat spasm around his head. You felt his body bending down over you, his hands squeezing your head, as he moaned your name breathlessly. You waited till your lungs started burning with the need of air and lifted your head up. You breathed in and repeated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking God, fuck!” you heard. You lifted your head, your tongue following all the way up, and threw a glance at him. His lips were slightly open, while eyes were, on the contrary, shut tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna kill me?” Calum ushered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You chuckled, “No, only make you cum.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let your hand slip lower on his balls and squeezed them carefully, eliciting another broken breath from Calum. You kissed the tip of his head and let your tongue play with his meatus, before taking him in your mouth again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt Calum was close, his hands shaking a little and his breath getting heavier. You tried to bop your head faster and let go of his balls, clutching on the base of the dick again. You felt pulling pain in your cheeks, but kept sucking as you felt he was really close. It wasn’t long till he cum in your mouth, gripping on your hair and groaning low. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sat back and took a tissue from the glovebox, giving him a moment to collect himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are,” Calum started, his breath still heavy, “a devil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’ve said that before,” you smiled, wiping your spit and his cum from your face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get in the back,” he ordered. You looked at him, his eyes are still closed and his chest moving fast. You looked lower and to your surprise saw his dick still up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, wow, I actually thought, you’d hold till we get home,” you chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum opened his eyes, bright yellow now, and turned to you. “Get in the back now,” he repeated, stressing each word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You obeyed with a laugh, the sound of his seatbelt being unbuckled following you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if you hope to wear that dress ever again, better take it off yourself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tried to hide your smile in the pillow, when you felt Duke crawling closer to you in the bed. You hadn’t noticed any changes in the little dog’s attitude to you, and that sudden wish to get closer caught you by surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You two were wallowing in bed, watching Calum packing his suitcase. He was in the bathroom now and missed the scene between his pup and you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you to remember that if anything happens, Andy is one call away,” Calum informed you, coming out from the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed. “Sure, I’ll call him if I need some yoghurt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious,” Calum quirked an eyebrow, looking at you. “Where’s Duke?” he asked right away, not seeing the dog on the covers anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hiding his wet nose between my boobs, actually,” you giggled more from the tickling feeling, than from the surprised look on the alpha’s face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell him, it’s my place,” he smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell him yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum let out a short laugh, grabbed covers and pulled, making you squeal from the cool air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke turned to his owner immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s my woman,” Calum said, looking Duke straight in the eyes, “You need to find another one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke growled and turned back to your boobs, closing eyes and obviously enjoying the comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unbelievable,” Calum laughed, throwing covers back to you. “My own dog is trying to steal my girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, can’t blame him for that, can you? With you leaving me all alone for a week,” you muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum sighed, straightened up and looked at you. “Andy is one call away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” you said, mirroring his expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s one more thing,” Calum said. He moved his suitcase and sat on the bed. “Gabbie wants to be your pure blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned. You were pretty sure you knew all the words Calum pronounced, but the meaning of them somehow escaped you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it, Cal,” you admitted couple moments later. “How can she be my pure blood? She’s Ashton’s and I’m not an alpha.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, she wants to be your guard,” Calum explained with a smile, but you could see deep in his eyes he was as confused as you were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a guard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a tradition,” the smile left alpha’s face, as he finally proceeded that you had no idea what he was talking about. “When alpha meets his mate, his strongest female pure blood becomes the personal guard for her. It’s a common thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged, trying not to overthink it. “I don’t remember my mom, Cal. I had no chance to learn things like that,” you explained. “Still, Gabbie isn’t your pure blood anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gabby was my only female pure blood. And even though she’s a part of Ashton’s pack now, she asked him for permission to become your guard. As long as Ashton has Lara, he agreed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need a bodyguard, Calum. Especially as tiny as Gabbie. I can take care of myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum sighed again. “I know that. And trust me, everyone knows that. But it’s a tradition. And we’re following our traditions. You’ll offend her if you refuse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You lay back on the pillow and huffed. “I don’t wanna offend her, it’s just…” you had no idea how to put into words everything that was confusing you. Calum just sat there, looking at you and giving you time to form all your objections. But truth was you weren't sure you could form them even for yourself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You hid your face in your hands and groaned loudly. “Fine! She can be my personal guard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum was still looking at you, you could feel it even with your eyes closed. You put your hands away and looked back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to ask,” you started. You were thinking about it since you learned about his trip, but couldn’t find it in yourself to ask him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I stay here? While you're away, I mean. I know it’s gonna sound stupid,” you went on, looking away from him, “but I just feel better with your smell around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum picked up your chin and made you look back at him. “You don’t need to ask that,” he said, shaking his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, I do,” you argued stubbornly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, you don’t,” Calum smiled and hovered over you, pushing Duke away carefully. His lips started to cover you face in little tickling kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” you giggled and tried to pull away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Making sure, you’ve got enough of my smell around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your phone started ringing. Again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You didn’t make an attempt to answer, didn’t even look its way. You knew for sure who was calling and had no wish to find out what for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>First messages from Matt came on Saturday morning. You read his apologies for the kiss and his pleadings for another meeting and left them without answer. You just didn’t know what more could you say. And, frankly, your mind was already too preoccupied to think about him. When lack of response from you didn’t stop Matt from texting more, you just switched your phone off and happily forgot about him. But with the beginning of the working week you had to come out of you improvised deafness. And you didn’t like the result. Now it was not only texting, Matt started calling you, practically non-stop. You haven’t answered once. You didn’t know if you should, but you were positive you didn’t want to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your phone stopped vibrating. You let out a breath, not aware till that moment that you were holding it and looked up from the report you were writing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You’d tried to put into words what you felt about Matt and all this situation all morning, but the only thing you actually realised, was anger. You were angry with him for showing up and, what was more important, showing up now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed, thinking about last couple months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You had been running since your ascendance. You’d been running from your family, your past and most of the time yourself. And you’d never felt being followed. Until you thought you were ready to stop. Looking back at it all, you could even see the logic of it all happening now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But fuck the logic, you thought, when your phone had started vibrating again. You were finally content. You found your mate. He was ready to give you home and pack. You had finally found a place for you. You were ready to finally let your past go and forget it all. Why couldn’t Matt understand it? Why should it be that way?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You remembered the way he grabbed your arm that night in the park. Cold shivers ran down your spine. You asked yourself for the thousandth time why wouldn’t Matt give up, why was he so persistent? And what he was ready to do to make you listen to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You waited till he stopped calling again and picked up your phone. Your call was answered on the second signal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Andy, it’s…” you started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got your number,” the omega stopped you. His voice was cold, but you heard no roughness in it. “Do you need anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You coughed. “Yeah, I actually was wondering, of course if that’s not too much to ask, I mean, I get if you’re busy or something-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard him laugh which surprisingly sounded relaxing, his low voice soothing your nerves. “Since when do you stutter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, will you?” you snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re my alpha’s mate. Ask and you shall receive,” Andy stated simply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could you pick me up from work?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard him hesitate for a moment. Whatever he had expected, you took it, you managed to surprise him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” he answered. “Did anything happen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, just tired and don’t feel like driving,” you answered what you believed was only half-lie, as you really felt more tired than usual. You tried not to go into depths of why you felt so weak this last couple days, explaining it all with the lack of sleep. Whatever you kept telling Calum, you still had Ripper sharing your dreams every night and it was just a question of time, when it start influencing your physical state. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure. Will wait for you,” Andy answered, still a little confused. “Anything else?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s all. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You kept an awkward silence for couple more seconds and finished the call without any other word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You spent exactly four minutes and thirty eight seconds, wondering if Andy will call his alpha or not. Then your phone started vibrating yet again, the screen lit up with another name this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” Calum asked not bothering with greetings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You huffed, stood up from your place and headed for the fire escape, foreseeing this talk won’t be that short.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing is wrong,” you answered as you were sure, no one could hear you except Calum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t saying anything. You also waited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it because of that Matt guy?” he finally asked you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You almost laughed. How come he was reading you like an open book. You could also feel tension, which you knew, wasn’t yours. He was worried, you could feel it even being so far away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You opened your mouth to tell Calum to relax and them shut it again. It stuck you, that very moment. You could try to solve it all by yourself. God knows you were capable. But you didn’t have to anymore. The realization hit you like a trainwreck. You didn’t have to cope with everything on your own anymore. You had your mate. And you could share it all with him. And you weren’t even afraid of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He just keeps calling and texting,” you started. “I’m not answering, though. And I don’t know, I’m probably overreacting, but-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does he want from you anyway?” Calum interrupted you. You felt his irritation rise up, you could not only hear it in his voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You inhaled, wondering where to start. “Basically, he wants me to come back to the Lakes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, to save the pack,” you sighed again, leaning on the wall and closing your eyes. “He told some stories, you know, how my brother is the worst thing that ever happened to the pack and how everyone is waiting for me to come save them and some crap along the lines with me being an alpha’s daughter and therefore the rightful heir and how it’s my pack and my responsibility. You know, all that crap.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And?” you repeated, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to come back there?” Calum asked you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His question made you freeze. You understood with all the worries and questions you were asking yourself, you’ve never thought about that one. Was it really that simple? Was it just up to what you wanted?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tried to find an answer to Calum’s question. You knew he could misinterpret your silence, but he waited patiently on the line.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it may sound crazy, but it’s-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your home,” Calum finished for you. “Yeah. I get it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tried to distinguish offence in his voice, or irritation. But he was calm, even satisfied with your answer. He just stated truth. And he did understand you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do miss it, Calum,” you went on. “But I’ve suffered enough. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to come back there. But i’m sure as hell not ready for it now. I just want some peace.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure, Andy would be enough?” Calum asked you with a sigh. You felt his longing to be there for you, but were thankful for him staying where he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More than enough,” you confirmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can have my guard just beat the shit out of that Matt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled, “It i wanted him to be beaten, I could easily do it myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I know that. But why go in all that trouble, if you could just delegate it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what about the pleasure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard him snort. “Ah, but there are so many other ways to pleasure you, love,” he said, his voice significantly lower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oookay, mister,” you drawled with a smile. “Come back and we’ll discuss this in person. And for now, I have to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” you heard a soft smile in his voice. “I’ll facetime you in the evening, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You came back to your workplace, your mind full of thoughts and doubts. How come you’d never actually realized how much you missed your home until Calum asked you that one question. You knew there had always been a part of you desperate to come back to the Lakes, but you were astonished with how big that part was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard the familiar buzzing again. You looked at your phone. Maybe you didn’t have to deal with all you legacy now, but with that thing you definitely had to. You picked up your phone and swiped to answer a call. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke was looking at you with a question on his furry snout. You were looking back, not answering anything. You knew you had to get up, but you were positive you’d vomit if you moved. Duke bent his head to the left. He felt something was wrong with you, but couldn’t figure what. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have no idea,” you answered his silent question. Duke growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you expecting him to answer?” you heard low voice coming from the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You turned your head that way. Andy was leaning on the wall, watching you with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” you asked, frowning at how your words sounded rougher than your intended. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought you may use another ride,” Andy shrugged. “Truth to be told, you don’t look well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” you huffed and gathered all your will to stand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” Andy asked and to your surprise he really sounded worried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have no idea,” you repeated. “Can you wait a little? I need fifteen minutes to get ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Any agreed easily. “Will take Duke out, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You nodded, leaving the room. You went up to the bedroom and got into shower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You kept wondering what was wrong with you. Your hands were shaking and you felt so weak. You head was spinning from time to time. You knew it couldn’t be the effect of your dreams, but what else? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hot water really helped to make you feel better. Almost to the point of you believing you’d be alright. You let Andy take you to work and told him not to pick you up in the evening as you had plans. And even managed to go through the day. You hands kept shaking and your head was odd. You even checked the calendar in case you missed your periods coming and wondered if you could catch a cold. But neither of these reasons seemed to be right. You kept feeling hot and cold at the same time. At some point you had the ghost of recognition and you almost remembered when you’d felt like that already, but the feeling slipped away. You thought several times about cancelling the meeting, but kept stubbornly persuading yourself that the sooner you get over with it, the sooner you feel better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So at half eight you were sitting in a restaurant looking at the person you’d known as long as you could remember yourself and asking if you were making yet another mistake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look pale,” Matt noted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shrugged, hiding your eyes in the menu. “Haven’t been feeling well lately,” you admitted still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were looking at all the courses on the menu and felt sickness rising inside. You put the menu away and met with Matt’s puzzled expression. “I’ll drink some water, but I’m not hungry,” you explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought, we could spend some time here,” Matt said, visibly displeased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, I actually agreed to have dinner with you just to clarify couple things, Matt,” you said. Your tone was tough, but you made no attempt to soften it. You came to that restaurant with a certain agenda and you weren’t here to be nice to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want me to come back to the Lakes,” you started, but he didn’t let you finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want you to just come back to the Lakes. I want you to take control of the pack, to take your rightful place,” he reminded you with the same passion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You stroke your forehead, feeling your body temperature rising again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you even hear what you’re offering me, Matt?” you asked, trying to supress the annoyance. “I can’t just come back and claim the throne. I’m not even talking about the fact that I’m an omega and have no right to rule any pack. But the only way to claim the pack is to kill both my brother and my dad. I’m not doing it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t hesitate for a moment with his reply. And that said it louder than any words. He planned it all. He played it in his head thousand times before and the picture he saw satisfied him to the full.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can do it for you,” he said. The content with which he agreed to the deaths of what was left from your family made you shiver. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you’re right,” he continued, while you were wondering how far could he go with that, “as an omega you technically have no right to rule the pack. But I have. If I kill them, I’ll become a pack’s alpha and you’ll be my omega,” he was talking faster with every word, sharing the dream he obviously cherished the most. “With you by my side no one will doubt our position and our offspring will be the rightful heirs of the alpha line. We’ll save the pack, save your bloodline. We’ll keep the Lakes alive, what more could we wish for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lots of things, actually,” you muttered, not sure if he really believed in what he was saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, little alpha, don’t you see, it’s our chance to come home,” he smiled and you felt sick. “This is not a place for you. You belong to the Lakes. And you belong with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head and let out a humourless laugh. “We’re not even mates, Matt, what are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted scornfully. “Fuck mates! We can be an alpha couple of the biggest and strongest pack in the country. What are mates to this, really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pictures flashed through your mind. Rushing in the night to Calum surrounded by the packs’ guards, feeling their support, sharing one goal. Wedding reception with over hundred of guests, all of them wolves, living like one big family, warmth and affinity of them. Laughing with Lara and Gabbie, feeling so light and free. Ashton and Calum smiling to some jokes they shared and no one else understood. The universal content you felt next to your alpha. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt a lump in your throat. “Everything, Matt,” you breathed out, your voice hardly audible, but your will strong as ever. “You don’t know what kind of bound it is. If you did, you’d never offered me that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you know?” he asked with arrogance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked him in the eye. You didn’t answer anything, let him get it himself. You saw him change in the face, realisation crawling over him slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have a mating mark,” he whispered, still trying to fight the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have it </span>
  <em>
    <span>yet</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” you said and that moment felt how right those words were. “And for your information, the Lakes pack isn’t the biggest and strongest pack in the country. Not anymore,” you shook your head, but made yourself continue. You had to finish with it here and now, this was what you came for. “I’m not coming back to the Lakes, and I’m not going to agree with any part of your insane plan. I’ve found my place in the world and I’m gonna stay here. Go away, leave the town and never come back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that you stood up and left the restaurant. Your knees were shaking and you weren’t sure you were strong enough to even get a cab, but you had never felt that right before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought, I said you didn’t need to pick me up,” you smiled to Andy, who was waiting for you right outside the restaurant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just shrugged, soft proud smile on his face. Did he hear your conversation? Did he know what was going on all this time? “Had some business nearby. Just a happy coincidence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The drive to Calum’s place was silent, though you caught Andy staring at you in the rearview mirror couple of times. He kept smiling and you thought, if the pack had any doubts about you, tonight was the end of them. Andy asked you several times if you’d be alright, offering to keep you company or call Lara or Gabbie, but after you promised you’ll be fine half a dozen times, he let you be. You looked as he drove away. The night was surprisingly chilly and you could hear Duke striding inside impatiently. You walked up the stairs, opened the door, closed it and leaned back on it. You took a deep breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum’s scent burnt your throat. You started coughing, not getting what was going on with you. Your hands were shaking again. You closed your eyes. And momentarily he rose before your eyes, dark curls and familiar smirk. You could swear you felt his hands on your body. You opened your eyes to the still empty house. Little dog was looking at you confused with your state. You looked past him. Everything around was burning red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You went up to the bedroom, your legs moving hard. You thought you just needed to lay down, but as you came into the room, you understood your mistake. His scent was the strongest here. You felt a knot tying up in your stomach, your insides aching. The most seductive pictures began to appear in your memory. All the things you’d done here, all the things you were yet to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of a phone call made you dive from under this mirage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hearing his voice was confusing. You felt your disorientation draw back just from knowing he felt you and cared for you. But at the same time all the pictures in your head became stronger, fueled by his low tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m in a heat,” you whispered what you’d understood after entering the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding me?” Calum snorted, but you heard no fun in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You called me, cause you felt it. So tell me, am I kidding?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know,” Calum rushed, “just surprised. We haven’t been apart for that long, why would you go in a heat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed. His question was valid. But answering it wouldn’t help you a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just stay in the house, I’m on my way,” he continued before you had a chance to say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On your way where? You can’t leave your business, can you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll explain to them, will come back when you get better,” he dropped like it was not a big deal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let yourself slide down the wall, pulled the knees up and accepted what you were about to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what if I don’t get better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen, I have no idea why, but our bond isn’t typical, right? We can feel each other’s emotions even though we haven’t mated yet. And now that. We’ve been together three days ago, I shouldn’t have gone in the heat. What if I’m gonna react like this each time you’re away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll think about it when it actually happens,” Calum answered. “Let’s stick to one problem at a time.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a winning strategy,” you huffed, standing up. “Send me an address, I’ll come.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not driving in such state.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You tried to hold from rolling your eyes, you really did. But it was stronger than you. “I’ve driven in worse states, Calum.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way in hell I’m letting you drive,” he roared, “that’s an order.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you get it?” your passion was turning into anger way too fast. “I’ll go crazy if I just stay here waiting for you. I need to feel I’m actually doing something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He huffed. You heard his heavy steps. He was pacing, probably in his hotel room, trying to find the better option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ashton will drive you then,” he concluded a minute after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why to torture the poor man, you’re more than four hours away?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No torture, he already agreed. Pack your stuff. He’ll be there in ten.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too annoying even for an alpha,” you dropped, ready to hang up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One more thing, love,” Calum stopped you, something new in his voice making you listen carefully. “Don’t touch yourself. No matter how strong the need is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that he finished the call. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head. It was obvious where he came with that from. You knew if you tried to help yourself, it would make everything worse. Yet his bold words made your insides tremble more. You clenched your fists and took Calum’s sports bag, throwing in there all your stuff you could see, not thinking whether you’d need it or not. You had only so much time to do that and leave some food for Duke, when you heard a car horn. You patted little dog and left the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton watched you get in the car wearily. You had questions about how much Calum told his best friend. He had to explain this sudden rush somehow. No matter how close they were, you doubted Ashton was so up to fulfilling any request Calum had. But when you saw how Ashton’s face changed, as you closed the door and he had an opportunity to smell you, you thought that maybe Calum didn’t have to explain anything after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you mind if I open windows?” Ashton asked, his grip on the steering wheel getting tighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, not,” you looked down on you hands, feeling guilty. It was odd, you hadn’t felt guilty in so long. “I’m sorry, Ashton,” you mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard his soft chuckle. “Come on, it’s not your fault you can’t be away from him, is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let a shy smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I’d say it’s quite natural with another wolf messing around,” he continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned, Matt’s face emerging in your mind. Was it that simple?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think it’s because of him?” you asked, not even questioning how much Ashton knew. He was an alpha, after all. And you had no right to feel offended by the lack of privacy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton shrugged. “I’m not an expert, obviously. But I’d say it’s quite logical. You two haven’t mated yet. Your wolf nature feels the danger and escalates it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged again, trying to show it was nothing more than his theory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you say you’re not an expert?” you asked suddenly, forgetting about your thirst for Calum for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cause I haven’t met my mate yet,” Ashton answered with a sad smile. “Everything I know, I know in theory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You nodded and smiled wider, leaning forward to put your hand on his shoulder. “Whenever you meet her and whoever she is, she’s going to be one lucky she-wolf.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ashton met your eyes in a rearview mirror and answered your smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You leaned back on the seat and looked out of the window. You’d already left the town and were driving on the freeway now. Ashton was a faster driver than Cal, but just as confident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your eyelids grew heavy, you yawned and found it suddenly difficult to stay in consciousness. You didn’t notice the moment you fell asleep, too worn off by your nightmares, nerves and now heat. The next thing you knew was Calum’s tender touch on your shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shall I carry you?” he asked in half whisper, helping you carefully from the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head. You may had been sleepy and tired, but you were determined to walk. You got out of the backseat and as soon as Calum straightened up with your bag in his hand, you enveloped your arms around his torso and hid your face on his chest. You inhaled his scent as deep as you could, feeling his mere presence forcing your tensed muscles relax.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard a chuckle, looked back and saw Ashton looking at the two of you with the biggest grin on his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You owe me for tonight,” he told Calum as they shook hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I owe you for much more than just tonight,” Calum agreed with a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you say, loverboy,” Ash laughed again. You felt him looking at you. “Well, I wish you two good and sleepless rest of the night. I’ll see you back home.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard him open the car door when a quiet “Thank you” left you. He looked back at you, nodded with a smile and soon drove off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum squeezed you tighter before letting go. “We should get you inside, yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You gathered all your strength to detach yourself from him to be able to walk. The way to the elevators took approximately nine hundred years. Or at least, that was how you felt it. The moment the elevator doors closed, you started kissing Calum’s chest right through his tee, not bothering with reaching out to his neck at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, love, just wait a moment,” he tried to stop you. You only shook your head, having no strength for a coherent answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What going on with you, love?” Calum asked, cupping your cheek with his free hand and making you look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” you whispered. “I just need you, Cal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doors opened behind you to a dimly-lit hall. “You’ve got me,” Calum answered, pulling you out of the elevator and to the door of his room. “You’ve got me, just let me take you inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sky was getting lighter. You were watching it change its color slowly, measuring time not in seconds or minutes, but in beats of Calum’s heart. It sounded strong and steady, confident with every stroke, just like Calum was himself. His breathing was slow and calm, but you knew he wasn’t sleeping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you feel better?” he asked an eternity later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, physically,” you looked up at him, he was frowning from your answer. “I didn’t let you sleep,” you explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum smiled and kissed your forehead. “I’m not going to complain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another eternity passed. The sky had added some pink to its light blue shade, when Calum spoke again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you actually know, what caused it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You took a deep breath. Did you know? Was Ashton right? Who could have known if not you?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ash thinks because of Matt,” you admitted, seeing more and more logic in this theory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You lifted yourself a little to change the position and see Calum while speaking. You saw the same frown again and felt his boiling anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is he to do with it?” his question sounded more like a roar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We had dinner last night. But the heat started earlier,” you mused out loud. “I guess, Tuesday morning, after I agreed to see him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum didn’t say anything, waiting for you to continue, letting you choose what to say to him and what to keep to yourself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed. “I had to clear everything, tell him I’m not going home. So that’s why I agreed to see him,” you explained. “But, perhaps, his proposition could have been a catalyst to the heat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What proposition?” Calum finally asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked Calum in the eye, biting your lip. You knew the reaction would be big, but you didn’t want to keep him in the dark anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wanted me to be his omega.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He what?” Calum asked so quietly you weren’t sure you heard him correctly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He said, he’ll confront both my dad and my brother and after he overthrows them, I’ll become his omega, as the bloodline heir. And our offspring will be rightful alphas in the future.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard Calum’s heart rush its pace, felt his chest under your chest move harder. You could sense how much effort he actually needed to suppress his anger and not run away in search of Matt that very moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, first, I don’t want you see that Matt guy ever again,” he breathed out as soon as he collected himself. “Should have said it earlier, but I don’t want him around you. And that’s not a request.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled your sweetest smile, asking, “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, yes! You’re my omega! You’re mine and you're gonna stay mine and my offspring are the only pups you’re gonna have! No one else’s!” Calum roared at you, taking your smile for mocking him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” you snorted, “would be awkward if you didn’t feel like that while i’m lying on you completely naked. Also, could you, please, stop breathing so hard? My boobs hurt from this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum's frown grew deeper. “I’m serious here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed and rolled your eyes at how impossibly stupid your alpha was sometimes. “It’s like you don’t listen to me at all, Calum. I told you once already, I’m here because I choose to be here. It’s not up to you and it’s sure as hell not up to him. I chose you,” you repeated, seeing the realization in his eyes. “Now, would you be so kind to shut up and kiss me? I’m sorta in a heat and need some special kind of treatment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum didn’t say anything, just shook his head, rolling you on your back and leaning over for a kiss. You didn’t need him to speak, though. You knew what he was thinking about. You had too much sass for an omega. But you also knew he loved that. Just like everything else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum closed the trunk after putting there your bags and looked at you coming closer to the car. It was Friday evening. He had just finished all his work here and you two were about to set off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re sure you’ll get through the ride?” he asked, as you came up to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled at his worry. You had spent last two days clenching on him all the time you could. And though you tried your hardest to conceal how difficult it was for you when he had to leave, even for couple hours, he still knew, could feel it through your bond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It got better, Calum,” you reassured him. With a smile you added, “And we can always settle for the back seat, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think?” he smirked, pulling you closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure. Last time there was a blast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kissed your temple, you closed your eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems like you can’t live without me,” Calum whispered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your heart skipped a beat, as you prepared to fight back the rebellious part of you. But, you understood a moment later, there was no need. Cause even the most disobedient part of you couldn’t fight the truth. You really couldn’t live without him. You had no idea, when you had finally came to terms with it, but your independence didn’t mean much anymore. Or better say, little enough to give it up for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seems like you’re right,” you mused quietly, with your eyes still closed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite your readiness for the car’s backseat, the ride went pretty uneventful. Your heat was obviously slowing down and you felt better than ever with only Calum’s hand on your thigh. You spent about four hours on the road, most of the time keeping quiet, when Calum turned the car away from the freeway. You’d seen the signs and knew you still had about thirty miles left to the town border, it was too soon for him to turn. You turned to him, but he looked just as confident as before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” you asked, failing to suppress your worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little detour,” Calum answered. His voice was calm and low. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked around again as you entered a little village, wondering what on earth Calum could have needed here. But he drove past it. Another ten minutes passed, you drove in the countryside. The road was bad and there was nothing around, only bushes. What kind of business could he have here? Again you looked at Calum, but he was giving nothing away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You took another turn and came to a little field with a strange warehouse on the other side of it. It looked uninhabited, ominous even. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we doing here, Cal?” you asked, after he stopped the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn’t answer, just got out of car and beckoned you to follow him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You understood everything the moment you stepped out of the car, all you needed was to feel the smell of this place. You looked at Calum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum had already went a little forward and stopped now. He turned back to you and offered you his hand. “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You crossed your arms in a feeble attempt to protect yourself. You looked at the warehouse again. There was a black hole where the entrance should have been. And you could swear you saw a silhouette of Ripper waiting for you inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna go there,” you admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to. We have something to finish there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pretty sure I’ve finished everything the last time I was there,” you scoffed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, you haven't,” Calum shook his head. You saw sadness in his eyes as he said that. “Come on, love. It’s all gonna be okay, but you should trust me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head, feeling a lump in your throat. You couldn’t get inside, you knew that. How could he ask anything like that from you?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t sleep,” Calum said quietly, coming up to you. “Can’t shift cause you’re afraid you won’t shift back. Which you probably won’t as only in your wolf shape you can let go of all of your fears.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There are no fears,” you said stubbornly, shaking your head and looking at your feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard him sigh. “You killed for the first time that night, right?” he asked you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked up at him, not answering his question. “Why are you doing this?” you asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to accept what you did,” he said, taking your hand, before ordering in his alpha voice, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Let’s go</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You didn’t want to, felt your feet stumbling, but you still went. He took you inside and all the way down the hall to the room where it all happened. You were positive the building was empty. You could hear water drops somewhere above you two and a lonely rat in the basement. And besides that only deafening silence. But you still saw Ripper in every shadow coming your way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the room it all happened the smell was the strongest. You felt sick from it, sweet scent of rotten blood from now on being the constant companion of your nightmares about Ripper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You hugged yourself and shrugged, looking around. It was dark inside, but darkness was never a problem for your sharp sight. You could see marks from the bullets Ripper sent your way on the concrete walls, could recollect where was Calum and how Ashton moved round the room. You saw it all so clearly, like it happened just yesterday. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you blame yourself?” You heard behind you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You turned back to Calum to tell him he was wrong, you didn’t blame yourself at all. But those words stuck in your throat. Cause he was right. You did blame yourself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt tears coming up to your eyes. “I’ve killed a person, Calum,” you answered him under your voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He deserved it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one to decide it,” you sniffed. “I’m not a god or a judge. Yet I just jumped and did it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum sighed, his arms crossed on his chest. “You were protecting me,” he reminded you slowly. “And Ashton, and yourself, and many more. If you hadn’t killed him, he would have killed us all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could have just hurt his hand, that would be enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And then what, hurt the other one? It wouldn’t have stopped him. Ripper wanted to bring us down for years. And he finally has us with Ashton both in his power. Nothing could have stopped him. He’d just ordered his pack to kill us. You didn’t do anything wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I did!” you shouted back, your voice echoing from the walls. “I killed, Calum! Just the way I was taught to,” you felt the first tear slide down your cheek. “Just like my father wanted me to kill my brother,” you finished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum came closer to you. “So that’s what tortures you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a monster, Calum,” you whispered back. “I needed too much time to realise it, but I did. All the trainings he put me through, all the lessons with the guards and the pack’s council. All the days and nights I was ready to die from the endless workouts. I’d never bothered with asking one simple question. Why would my dad go in all that trouble to train me? I was the second in line, a girl to make things worse. But that was the most important lesson I never actually learnt. Always have plan b. And I was his plan b. He was raising a monster out of me, in case his first monster won’t satisfy his requirements. And he succeeded,” you felt bitterness in your voice when you said it. But it was the truth. You were literally standing on the proof. And there was no running away from it. “I killed Ripper just like my dad wanted me to kill my brother. I completed his course.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt the concrete floor hit your knees and only then you realized that you’d fallen. Calum rushed up to you, to hold you. His face was blurry, though, and your cheeks were wet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No matter how much time passes or how far away from him I run, I’m still my father’s monster. And I’ll always be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum shook his head, stroking your hair and wiping tears away from your face. “No, you’re not. And you’ve never been.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you want me?” you asked suddenly, frowning. “How can you want a monster?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You're not a monster,” Calum rushed back, his eyebrows furrowed. “You didn’t kill him to gain anything. Not power or respect or revenge. You did it just to protect yourself and others. You did what you had to do, not what you wanted. And now you need to forgive yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You shook your head, tears streaming down harder. You wanted to say something else, how there was no forgiveness for you now, but you couldn’t, choking on your sobbing. Calum pulled you closer. You closed your eyes and let it all out. Standing on the cold hard floor covered with the blood of a guy you killed, you were crying out all the despair you had, all the hatred to yourself and all the regret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” you asked some time later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum shifted and pulled away from you to be able to see your face. “Why what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you do this for me? Why do you hold for me? Why do you want me so much, Calum?” he looked at you with his eyes wide. You shook your head, knowing full well what would be his first and most obvious answer. “I know it’s not only the mating bong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. You saw his sight getting softer as he spoke, “Because you’re you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You frowned and he went on, “You’re so strong. The strongest wolf I’ve ever seen. And you’re smart and witty and beautiful. God, you’re so damn beautiful. I see you every day and still can’t believe you’re real,” he shook his head in awe. “And you’re enormously kind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You couldn’t help from snorting. “We’re standing on a place where I killed a person with our knees in what’s probably been a puddle of his blood. And you’re saying I’m kind?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did what you had to do. And still mourned him and blamed yourself even though he didn’t deserve it a bit,” he said with a sigh and pushed some hair from your forehead. “And you’re also the most stubborn woman I know. And I’m falling for you hard, mating bond or not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You closed your eyes, not able to believe he really said all this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I’m so broken, Calum,” you sobbed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone is, love,” he answered, squeezing your shoulders and kissing your head. “But if you’re broken doesn’t mean you can’t be mend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were back on the motorway. The windows were open, letting the smells of the night and forest in. You were holding Calum’s hand in your hands on your lap, it was soothing your nerves and silencing your fears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were tired. The realization came fast and crashed you. This week had worn you out completely with all the Matt drama, heat and now this. You were tired, but you still felt better than you had in the morning. You couldn’t even dream that visiting the warehouse would free you from the Ripper’s ghost, but you knew it was a start. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum was humming some melody to himself, surprising you with his good mood. He was generally more satisfied with the life this week than before, which frankly startled you, especially after you told him what Matt wanted from you. But you took it as a good sign. He obviously trusted you enough with it. And if you were lucky, Matt would have left the town by now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You could already see the town entering sign, when an unusually big number of cars on the side of the road drew your attention. You felt Calum slow his car down too and looked at him in question. “Another detour?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled over and stopped the engine, squeezing your hands. “Last thing to take care of. And I promise, no business at the weekend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard car doors open and close around you and looked away from him. Wolves were getting out of the cars. You could see the guard of the both packs and some other wolves you hadn’t met personally yet. Andy was looming behind everybody else. Ashton came in front of the crowd, Gabbie and Lara following his steps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum stroke your thigh gently and sighed, “You can stay in the car if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got out and came up to Ashton, when another black suv’s door was opened and two Calum’s pure bloods escorted Matt to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You took a deep breath. You could stay in the car, but you didn’t want to. You got out, saw Calum following you with his eyes and stood right behind Lara and Gabbie, taking that the safest place for you would be among the pure bloods. And Gabbie was your personal guard after all. Girls looked back at you and smiled reassuringly, but all your attention was on the two men in front of you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum stepped forward to where Matt was left by the guard. Matt smirked and straightened up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I finally get to meet the Alpha,” Matt drawled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You saw Calum’s shoulders tense. Just a tiny bit, but it was enough for you to notice. The wave of irritation rose inside, but you knew the emotion wasn’t yours. It was getting easier to divide yours and Calum’s feelings, but you still didn’t like what you felt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s do it in a civilized way, why don’t we,” Calum said calmly, despite the storm he had inside. “You leave the town and never bother me, my mate, my friend or our packs ever again. And we let you go unharmed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt chuckled. He observed the guard and smiled, finding you. “He thinks he’s the one to decide, doesn’t he?” he asked you over the heads of all the wolves between the two of you. “Is that what got you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked Matt in the eye, but said nothing. You knew that game, your brother played it one too many times with you. But you knew better than to answer his provocation. You took one step closer to Gabbie and looked at Calum’s back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly you understood the lack of reaction from him. He probably arranged this all the morning after you came to him. And relaxed after this, knowing well his pure bloods will follow his command and he’ll have an opportunity to throw Matt out of the town himself. But it wasn’t a pissing contest and he wasn’t doing it to satisfy his ego. Calum was an alpha of the town. And this was his call to make. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, you just gonna stand behind his back silently?” Matt threw at you, disbelief prominent in his words. “You fucking kidding me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This hit you hard. Your eyes darted back to him. You knew what he was talking about. You’d never been obedient to anyone, not your father, not anyone else. You were the only judge of you actions. But there was one thing Matt didn’t know. Calum had never asked you to obey. To let him into your life, yes. To let him take care of you, to become his mate, share his life with him. But he never, not even once, asked you to bow. And the decision he was making right in front of you now he was making only with your consent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You looked back at your alpha. He was standing there in silence, waiting for your reaction patiently, not rushing you and not trying to decide for you now. Your heart clenched with all the things you felt to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m really tired, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you told him through your bond. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Can we get over with it already and go home.</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone saw the change in Calum. You saw Ashton step a little closer to his friend and the whole guard leaning forward, as Calum relaxed his shoulders and lifted his head a little. He spared Matt another look and without saying anything turned around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going home!” he ordered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard moved just enough to free Calum and Ashton way to their cars, Gabbie taking your elbow and pulling you the same way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your father was right!” Matt screamed at you, making you turn to him again. “You’re just a fucking omega whore!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone froze, the next moment the pure bloods stepped forward, but Calum was faster. He turned back and hit Matt in the stomach so hard, you father’s ex pure blood bent down and lost his breath. He didn’t even have time to prepare for the punch, his full attention was on you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum leaned over him and whispered, “Please, make it easy for me. Just say one more thing about her and I’ll rip your head off right here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You saw the guard looking at Calum in awe. Everyone must have known already why Matt was in town and what he wanted from you. Threatening an alpha mate in any way usually caused wolves death. The guard knew Calum had all the right to at least beat Matt up. And they knew Calum wanted it. Yet he held back, showing mercy to ones who never deserved it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Calum asked, disappointed by the absence of reaction. “Alright. Consider this a final warning then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped back from Matt, nodded to his wolves and walked up to you. He was opening the door to you, when you heard Matt again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll fucking regret it, little alpha,” he promised under his breath, yet still loud enough for everybody to hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You felt guard looking at Calum again. But he just made sure you were safely in the car and then got in himself, the pack following his example. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright?” Calum asked, as your car drove past Matt, still holding his stomach and cursing out loud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You just nodded, not able to say anything. Your mind was rushing around and you kept pulling on your fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did he mean when he said ‘little alpha’?” Calum asked. “Is it an insult of sorts?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” you huffed. “It’s actually my nickname. He used to call me this, when we were little.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum hummed and looked at you, as you stopped at the traffic light. He covered your nervously moving hands and asked you again, “You alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Matt is a revengeful type,” you uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if he tells my family? What if they finally find me?” you asked, looking up at Calum, your eyes full of fear. You didn’t tell him that, but the idea of finally meeting them again obscured every other worry you could possibly have. You weren’t ready to face them, not after you finally had something to lose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Calum only smiled at you with the softest smile he used only for you. “Good thing you’ll never need to deal with it on your own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took your hand in his and kissed you knuckles, while setting the car in motion again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You were standing in the bathroom in one of Calum’s tank tops you’d stolen to sleep in. You examined your arm from all the possible angles, the scar from the bullet is hardly visible now. Couple more weeks and even you wouldn’t remember there was something there. You went on with your skin care, brushed your hair and was ready to come back into the bedroom, when your eyes suddenly stopped at your neck. You touched your collarbones and met your sight in the mirror, asking if that was really what you were about to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smirked. You’d guarded your freedom for so long, refused from giving it up for anyone, let alone Calum. Little did you know you weren’t giving up your freedom, but your loneliness. You took a deep breath and left the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum was lying on the bed in his sweats only, scrolling through his phone. You didn’t waste any time, straddled him and pulled his phone from his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, love,” he smiled at you, his hands finding their place on your waist instantly. “You look too good in my clothes,” he added, his eyes sliding down your body hungrily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You smiled and pulled him by his hands, making him sit up. He used it to his own advantage, his arms snaking around your back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to ask you about something,” you started in half-whisper. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you want,” Calum agreed easily, bending down to you and kissing you cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You gathered all your courage and breathed out, “Mark me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He froze. Then slowly straightened up and looked at you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want a mating mark,” you repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence fell over you. Calum was looking you in the eyes, trying to find there at least a glimpse of a doubt. You were patiently waiting for him to proceed the idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” he finally asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sighed and smiled at him, “I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled back a little and tried again, “Are you really sure you’re ready for this? For being with me for the rest of your life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Your nodded. “You are my mate, after all,” you tried to joke it off, but saw it would have no effect even before you finished saying it. He needed you to be serious about it and he needed you to be honest. You huffed and tried again, “You remember what you asked me about at Gabbie’s wedding? If I see it happening for me one day?” Calum nodded. “I do see it happening. Not tomorrow, but I do see it. And I see it with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t say anything back, just kept looking at you with all his seriousness. You lifted your hands and stroke his forehead, pushing his curls back, caressing his skull. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the man I wanna spend my life with,” you admitted. “You’re strong and kind, and fair, and modest, and caring. You’ll never make me obey you against my will. You’re unbelievably handsome, which also helps a lot,” he snorted at this. “You’re by far the most stubborn man I know. And I’m falling for you hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled at these words and leaned closer to kiss you. This kiss was slow and tender, but not at all less passionate. You felt his heart raising its pace, but his moves were slow and careful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You hugged his neck, dragging him closer, savouring the taste of his lips. Your hips clenched around him, Calum huffed in the kissed and picked you up. He swiftly rolled you on your back, hovering over you. His lips slid down on your jaw and then lower to your neck. You clenched your fists, ready to feel his teeth on your skin, but he didn’t stop and continued his way. His hands started to find their way under the tank top you were in, while his lips moved to your collarbones. Your hands tangled in his hair, pressing his face even closer to your burning skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum pulled back and made you lift up a little, taking your top off of you. The moment you were again on your back, his lips covered your breast, making your instantly lose your breath. You were wondering every time, what it was about him that made you lose your mind. He did pretty much the same things as the men before him. But no one ever made you feel these things with just holding your nipple between their lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You let go of his hair and stretched your hands down his body, tugging on his sweats. You didn’t have enough space to pull them down, Calum’s already too low, but you could show him what you really wanted. You felt him chuckle into your skin. He sat up from you and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Impatient, are we?” he asked, taking his sweats off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you always,”  vicious smile covered your lips as your panties followed his clothes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You bit your lip, viewing the man in front of you. You took his hips and dragged him closer. Calum chuckled again, but instead giving in, went back to your stomach. His lips were drawing patterns on your skin, while his hands were holding your hips down on the bed. You felt your juices leaking on the bed already and let out a whine. But Calum didn’t pay any attention, going on with his own plan, obviously. His lips went almost as low as you wanted them and started going back up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” you huffed, your hips trying to buckle up in search of at least any friction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum didn’t answer anything, his mouth too busy with kissing and sucking. He went back to your breasts, eliciting a series of desperate moans from you, and finally reached your neck again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you,” you whispered, gasping for air and not controlling anymore nor your clenching hips neither your wandering hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, baby,” he confirmed, sucking a hickey below your ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You whined again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think you’re wet enough for me?” he asked you with a devilish smile. You squeezed your legs around his hips as an answer. Calum laughed and patted your thigh, asking you to let go of him. You obeyed and pulled him in for another kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He entered you the very next second, making you shut your eyes and let go of his lips instantly, your mouth opened in a silent scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you like this,” Calum whispered over you, his arm holding your arching back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rocked his hips, his dick going a little deeper. You found it in yourself to breathe in and now you were letting the air down with a long moan. No matter how many times you’ve done it already, the stretch was still too much. He set the pace, slow and careful, getting deeper with every other move, not pausing until he could come on full in you. You were biting your lips from all the sensations in your body. He kept pushing, further and further and then he stopped, you felt him go inside as deep as it was only possible. Calum hid his face on your chest, breathing hard. You lowered your hand on his head and stroke gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” you asked, confused by his sudden hesitation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Calum looked up and smiled. “Fucking favourite place in the world,” he breathed out and moved again. And then again. He wasn’t slowing now, pace rising up with every move. Your whines turned into sobs as he started to literally shove you into the mattress. You saw the drops of sweat cover his forehead, his eyes were shut and his lips tremble. His beautiful plump lips all red now and wet from your kisses. You couldn’t fight it and pulled him back again, sucking on his lower lip as he kept pounding in you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You got close too soon, all the emotions and nerves of the day weakened you. It was like Calum felt it even before you did. Your walls only started to clench and he was already kissing your neck, just like you loved him to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, love,” he rushed you a little, “let go for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You could fight many things in the world, but not his begging together with his kissing. You felt the waves of pleasure covering you, one after another, honestly believing nothing in the world could ever compare to it, wishing you’ll have this forever. You were clenching on his shoulders, whispering god only knows what silly things, probably just repeating his name, instinctively bucking your hips up. And then you stopped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His teeth sank into your skin right over your left collarbone and your world exploded. White flashes in front of your eyes blinded you. You stopped breathing, but you didn’t need the air anyway. All you knew was the fire flowing into your body through the bite on your neck. But this fire wasn’t burning your down with pain, it was filling you up, just like Calum was filling you up down your body now. It felt like you’d finally found your soul and now it was filling your body back. It felt like realization of all your dreams you'd never known you had. It felt like the most right thing in the entire world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You heard banging in your ears. It took another century for you to understand it was your heart pounding in your chest. Calum was lying on your, your chests moving in unison. He was holding you tight, his lips touching your skin exactly where the mark of his bite was burning now, imprinting your rightful place in the world and by his side as his only mate from now on and till your last breath. </span>
</p>
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